Like a kiki with your crew and your legs AFTER a wax, running is one of those things that feels great prior to actually doing it.

Of all the exercises, running can be the least fun of the options, but it does give people a sense of control over their emotions, according to this recent study in Cognition and Emotion. It basically concluded that of all the people they studied (none of whom were clinically depressed,) the people who did some exercise felt less down in the dumps than the people who didn’t after watching a seriously heartbreaking clip from the movie The Champ. Some people stretched, and some people jogged. The people who jogged didn’t feel as wrecked by the emotional journey.

The researchers admit their experiment is not a perfect science. For starters, everyone in the study was already moderately active, but it still suggested that after getting your blood pumping, you’re better able to reel in the emotional lows. When they looked at emotional processing, they found that it actually improves emotional regulation or recovering from a landslide of tears.

You know nothing purges the demons of the day like sweating it out and proving YOU CAN do things you thought you’d need a Slinky in your bum to do. Because everyone hitting the gym isn’t there for weight loss purposes, in case you didn’t already know. Here’s more proof.

And if someone doesn’t “get” your signature look, you can always lash out a punching bag at the gym. What’s your fave way to get the stress out, Rioters?