Are there any studies on what kind of exercise, or what kind of intensity is most beneficial to overall or mental health? Edit: Got back to my laptop and did s

Are there any studies on what kind of exercise, or what kind of intensity is most beneficial to overall or mental health? Edit: Got back to my laptop and did some research myself. Aerobic Exercise Training Increases Brain Volume in Aging Humans (and nonaerobic doesn't) -http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/61/11/1166.long http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/61/11/11... Findings show that although the more intense, motorized running exercise induced a rapid increase in BDNF, the elevation was more short-lived than with voluntary running. Suggests that longer, easier exercises might be more beneficial. - http://202.120.143.134/download/20090702135031_277199777813.pdf http://202.120.143.134/download/20090702135031_277199777813.... Exercise effects on executive function are not doseresponsive, meaning that better fitness does not necessarily lead to larger cognitive gains... physical activity levels that benefit cognition may not necessarily be as intense as those levels required to increase cardiovascular fitness. - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michelle_Ploughman/publication/23247248_Ploughman_M._Exercise_is_brain_food_the_effects_of_physical_activity_on_cognitive_function/links/0912f50b24e3bd11f6000000.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michelle_Ploughman/publ... neither duration (20 vs. 40 min) nor intensity (60 vs. 80% HR reserve) significantly affects the benefits of exercise if only the sBDNF increase at a single post-exercise time point is considered... -http://www.jssm.org/research.php?id=jssm-12-502.xml http://www.jssm.org/research.php?id=jssm-12-502.xml High intensity interval training evokes (slightly) larger serum BDNF levels compared to intense continuous exercise. - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicole_Wenderoth/publication/282911637_High_intensity_interval_training_evokes_larger_serum_BDNF_levels_compared_to_intense_continuous_exercise/links/5649aa1508aef646e6d29ed1.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicole_Wenderoth/public... This meta-analysis provides reliable evidence that both acute and regular exercise have a significant impact on BDNF levels. (but animal models show that these can be gone soon after you stop training) - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4314337/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4314337/ The effects of acute exercise on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yu_Kai_Chang/publication/223962303_The_effects_of_acute_exercise_on_cognitive_performance_A_meta-analysis/links/56191a6308ae78721f9cfd3b.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yu_Kai_Chang/publicatio... I can recommend the meta-analysis (last link), data is unfortunately somewhat inconclusive. There are basically two theories, the inverted-U theory, stating that moderate exercise is most beneficial and the drive theory, stating that the largest effects will be achieved with the largest intensity. Chang et. al., however, conclude that: The size of the benefit is dependent upon a number of factors, but results indicate that benefits are larger for more fit individuals who perform the physical activity for 20 min or longer. The appropriate intensity depends upon the time of measurement — any intensity benefits cognitive performance during exercise, but lower intensities provide more benefit when the tests are performed immediately after exercise and higher intensities have more durable effects that can be observed even following a delay.