Imagine your 'mood funk' as sulfur buildup in a water heater. Your water's going to smell awful until you burn out all that sulfur. The same applies with mood and exercise. This is an abstract illustration—however there are physiological / chemical benefits to exercising that affect mood directly.
Proper sleep.
Once you get into a sleep deficit, you're a walking shell of your true self. Adjust your schedule so that you get to bed early and wake up without an alarm. This makes a world of difference for me, and it's necessary for your exercise to deliver its best benefits (feeling energized and de-stressed).
As a side note, I think a healthy mental approach is important. Many people become fixated on some end goal, be it money, love, fame, etc. Focus instead on the process and the enjoyment you get from improvement or making progress. When friends ask for input, I tell them to only focus on the next 2%, regardless of what they're working on. I've found that mental framing to help people better prioritize and—more important—to drop the stuff that doesn't actually matter.
Imagine your 'mood funk' as sulfur buildup in a water heater. Your water's going to smell awful until you burn out all that sulfur. The same applies with mood and exercise. This is an abstract illustration—however there are physiological / chemical benefits to exercising that affect mood directly.
Proper sleep.
Once you get into a sleep deficit, you're a walking shell of your true self. Adjust your schedule so that you get to bed early and wake up without an alarm. This makes a world of difference for me, and it's necessary for your exercise to deliver its best benefits (feeling energized and de-stressed).
As a side note, I think a healthy mental approach is important. Many people become fixated on some end goal, be it money, love, fame, etc. Focus instead on the process and the enjoyment you get from improvement or making progress. When friends ask for input, I tell them to only focus on the next 2%, regardless of what they're working on. I've found that mental framing to help people better prioritize and—more important—to drop the stuff that doesn't actually matter.