When we first turn to fitness, most of us want to accomplish a physical goal. Most commonly, that may be losing weight, changing a dress size, or building muscle. But at a certain point in our movement journey, many of us also discover that a workout is the best thing you can do to change your sense of well-being. It’s not just about the physical—fitness can be a potent mood-enhancing drug.
Nobody resonates with this shift more than Ashley Mills, co-founder of obé. As a neurodivergent person, it took years for Ashley to discover that certain workouts can help her manage ADHD. Learning what types of workouts transformed her moods—what she calls ‘movement equations’—was a game-changer for her. Now, she’s passionate about empowering more people with intuitive tools to make those powerful connections on their own.
Cue Movement Equations on obé—a new app feature that takes your personal Mood Insights to the next level. Below, we explain how the feature works, why it matters, and how it can transform your mental health.
Mood Insights on obé: How Movement Equations Work
At obé, we know showing up for a workout is easier when you can track the positive impact it has on your life, body, and mind. That’s why the obé app offers personalized insights to help you discover what type of movement (quite literally) lights you up.
How to log your mood
Our Mood Insights feature is a big part of your individual wellness blueprint. When you open up the obé app, you’ll notice that the option to do a ‘Mood Check’ is always on your home screen. (Pro tip: You can also tap the purple (+) symbol at the bottom right of the screen to log your mood.) Here’s how it works step by step:
- You’ll be asked how you feel right now, based on 4 categories: High-energy pleasant, high-energy unpleasant, low-energy pleasant, and low-energy unpleasant.
- Tapping one of these categories unlocks dozens of specific emotions to choose from. For example, ‘Lively,’ ‘Motivated,’ or ‘Happy’ (high-energy pleasant), ‘Anxious,’ or ‘Angry’ (high-energy unpleasant), ‘Content,’ ‘Chill,’ or ‘Sleepy’ (low-energy pleasant), and ‘Lonely,’ ‘Sad,’ or ‘Unmotivated’ (low-energy unpleasant).
- After making your selection, you’ll be asked what may be causing you to feel that way. You can add tags from categories like Events, People, and Places—with the option to add your own unique options.
- After that, you can also add your own notes.
It’s best to log your mood as often as you can—but ideally, at least once a day (we’ll get into the science below). The first time you Mood Check, you’ll have the option to set daily reminders via push notifications to keep tracking your mood.
How to unlock a movement equation
So where and how do movement equations come in? It’s quite simple! After logging your mood on the app, take any class on obé as you normally would. Once the class is done, you’ll have the opportunity to log your mood again (alternatively, you can opt out and skip the mood check altogether).
Here’s the cool part: Every time you log your mood before and after a workout, obé tracks the connections and learns what movement equations will improve your mood. The next time you’re feeling unpleasant, it will remind you what helped you shift to a pleasant state.
For example: Say you log that you’re feeling anxious. Then, you take a 10-minute HIIT class on obé. After class, miraculously, you feel calm. obé learns that when you feel anxious, taking a HIIT class helps you feel calm. So the next time you’re feeling anxious, it will recommend a HIIT class. (Please note: You’ll only be able to unlock a movement equation if you log your mood within 4 hours of completing a workout.)
“This feature is meant to help you put your unique insights to work quickly,” Ashley explains. “Hopefully, it will empower you to make the connection between well-being and movement faster, because it shouldn’t take years to realize that movement is one of the greatest things we can do to change how we feel.”
The Science Behind Movement Equations
The connection between exercise and mood enhancement is backed by decades of research. When you move your body, you initiate a domino effect of physiological changes that can directly (and dramatically) affect how you feel emotionally.
How exercise transforms your mood
First, let’s talk about endorphins. Often called the body’s “feel-good” chemicals, endorphins are released during exercise and act as natural painkillers, creating a sense of well-being and euphoria. Ever heard of a runner’s high? It’s not just for runners—any type of cardio (and even strength training) can stimulate this happy neurochemical.
But endorphins aren’t the only players here. Exercise also impacts the brain’s neurotransmitters, like serotonin and dopamine, which regulate mood, pleasure, and anxiety. Studies have repeatedly shown that increased physical activity can boost serotonin levels, helping ease and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. That’s why regular exercise is often recommended as part of a holistic approach to treating mood disorders by mental health professionals.
Another piece of the puzzle is how movement affects cortisol, the stress hormone. High levels of cortisol are linked to feelings of stress, anxiety, and irritability. By training your cortisol response, regular exercise helps regulate cortisol levels, leading to reduced stress and an overall calmer state of mind. Put simply, the repeated cycle of exercise-induced stress and recovery enhances your body’s ability to recover and adapt to stress over time.
With Movement Equations, you get to see these scientific principles in action. By logging your mood before and after each workout, you can identify the specific types of exercise that best help you shift from negative emotions, like stress or sadness, to positive ones, like calm or happiness. Over time, this feature helps you build a personalized formula for emotional transformation through movement, backed by real science and your own experiences.
Why Tracking Your Mood Matters
Most of us have trouble identifying how we feel—especially when it comes to naming our own emotions. In a world that often pushes for productivity and results, taking time to sit with our emotions can feel intimidating and, quite frankly, like a “waste of time.”
Most of us experience a wide range of feelings throughout the day—stress, excitement, frustration, joy—but struggle to pinpoint or process them. Emotional health, unlike physical health, remains elusive for many, and tools to manage it often seem vague or out of reach.
This is where tracking your mood becomes powerful. While mental health has gained increased attention in recent years, emotional health—how we understand, express, and regulate our emotions—hasn’t moved into the spotlight. Yet, the two are intertwined. When you take time to recognize and track your emotions, you become more aware of your emotional patterns and build the ability to regulate them.
The key perks of mood tracking
Research shows that tracking your mood daily can have a meaningful impact on your emotional well-being. One study found that those who regularly track mood were more likely to nurture emotional intelligence—aka the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions effectively. By consistently logging how you feel, you can notice patterns—like what triggers certain emotions and how different experiences influence your mood. (The tags and notes section of obé’s Mood Check are especially useful for that!)
Enter: the science of self-awareness. Regularly tracking your mood isn’t just busy work, it can unlock your emotional regulation skills. Over time, you’ll notice yourself intuitively managing your stress and anxiety (or you may not even notice, because you’ll feel less stressed!). Research has shown us that those who reflect on their emotions by mood tracking can better control negative feelings while fostering positive ones. This makes them more resilient against daily stress.
How often should I track my mood?
Good question! According to research, logging your mood once a day—or at least several times a week—is the sweet spot. It usually takes two weeks of consistent tracking for individuals to start noticing patterns, identifying triggers, and improving emotional regulation.
The more you can make it a habit, the better! A study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that consistency in mood tracking helped participants tune into how specific behaviors or events changed their emotional state. More awareness means more control.
The bottom line: for faster insights, tracking daily is ideal. But consistency is the most important ingredient. If tracking your emotions once a day might feel like a commitment, striving to check in 3 to 5 times per week can inspire noticeable changes.
With the Movement Equations feature, you can take it a step further! Tracking your mood is one thing, but learning how to transform it through tangible actions (aka specific workouts) is another. Not only will you build emotional intelligence, you’ll be able to own, embrace, and manage your emotions. And to that, we say: watch out world. You’re about to become unstoppable.
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