What if the most powerful mental health tool isn’t another app, supplement, or productivity hack, but movement? In this episode, we sit down with world-renowned researcher and clinical physiotherapist Dr. Brendon Stubbs to explore the science behind exercise as prevention, treatment, and recovery support for mental health.
As the head scientist of the Amazon Prime documentary Mind Games: The Experiment, Dr. Stubbs explains how physical training sharpened the brightest minds at the top of their games.
In this episode, we unpack why exercise helps depression even when motivation is low, how just 15 minutes of movement can change brain function, and why the fitness industry has failed people with its obsession over aesthetics. This is a powerful, compassionate conversation about identity, self-efficacy, and using movement as a mental health tool. If you’ve ever felt “too tired,” “too depressed,” or “too busy” to move, this episode is for you.
Links:
https://www.drbrendonstubbs.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/drbrendonstubbs
(00:00:00) Welcome to the podcast
(00:03:10) Dr. Stubbs’ path into mental health research
(00:08:37) Movement for feeling better vs. aesthetic goals
(00:12:55) Inside Mind Games: The Experiment
(00:17:55) Problem solving metrics measured in the Experiment
(00:21:00) What surprised the participants and researchers most
(00:23:50) What exercise actually changes in the brain
(00:34:33) How do we get started moving when we are depressed?
(00:39:30) The minimum effective dose of movement as medicine
(00:44:00) Lifestyle behaviors like sleep and nutrition in the context of mental health
(00:46:59) How to start to today and what to do tomorrow
(00:50:53) Where to find Dr. Stubbs
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