An Overview Of Exercise And Depression
Does exercise and depression go together in any way? It has been well known for some considerable time that exercise in general is a good option for anybody. Experts around the world agree that a sensible exercise regime would be a prudent decision for almost everyone. This is just as true for healthy people as for those unfortunate enough to suffer with one of the varying forms of depression. So I would say – Yes exercise and depression do go together.
It is accepted that all forms of exercise promote a healthier body to a lesser or greater degree. Obviously it depends on the type and amount of exercise you are doing. There are many factors that come into play here. Consideration should be given to your age and of course it is important to assess properly your starting point if you are not used to exercising. When embarking upon exercise for the first time or if you are resuming exercise after a period of inactivity then please be careful and plan your exercises carefully. Given that exercise is deemed to be good for everyone there is a growing groundswell of medical opinion that believes that exercise is good in the quest for natural cures for depression.
What Can Exercise And Depression Do for You?
Exercise can help to lift your spirits. It can give you a better sense of well-being and provide a welcome boost to your confidence. There are all sorts of welcome benefits to be derived from regular exercise. Though it certainly applies to fit and healthy individuals it is also true for those suffering from depression and mental health issues in general.
A number of studies conducted by diverse and reputable research bodies around the world have been able to prove that exercise could assist the process of beating depression for over half of all those participating in the studies. It must be compared, however, to the statistics that show a similar success rate for depression sufferers who are taking a course of antidepressant medicines. This more traditional approach for remedies for depression does carry a health warning with it. These antidepressant drugs do have a propensity to produce harmful side-effects. In my opinion the route of exercise and depression can much more closely follow the best practices available for natural cures for depression.
The exercise pattern recommended does not have to be rigorous and too energetic. Something a simple as a brisk walk in the park at lunchtime could have a dramatic impact on boosting your self esteem and general feeling of well-being.
What Types Of Exercise Are We Talking About?
Some examples of the types of exercise are:
- Walking and running or jogging
- Join a Gym or Fitness Club
- Swimming or Cycling
- Skiing and Snowboarding
- Yoga and Meditation
- Dance Classes and Aerobics
- Gardening
- Join team sport clubs such as soccer, basketball, netball etc…
This short list is not exhaustive; it is merely here to give you a few ideas of how you could begin the process of exercising.
How Does The Equation Of Exercise And Depression Work?
It is widely believed that a good physical workout or exercise session can stimulate a part of the brain that is responsible for the release of chemicals called endorphins. There has been much research carried on regarding the benefits of exercise and the production of endorphins and in fact there is still research going on, since this is a very complex area of human biochemistry. In general terms though, it is believed that the release of endorphins into the body system, following exercise, will produce a feeling of well-being.
Exercise has also been shown to release a range of hormones into the body. These are known to improve your mood and emotional levels in just the same way as antidepressant drugs are supposed to. However, by this natural method of producing hormones there are no harmful side-effects. It is easy to test this theory. If you were to engage in strenuous exercise then you will experience a condition that can only be described as a “high”. This feeling “high” state, following rigorous exercise is experienced by many athletes and sports men and women. Studies are still being carried out into this phenomenon since it is not yet fully understood how long the euphoric state and feeling of well-being will last.
There are other areas where exercise and depression can benefit certain individuals. By the very nature of physical exercise there is an increased flow of blood to the muscles along with deeper breathing. Both of these actions will lead the individual down the route of feeling better both physically and emotionally.
Conclusion
No one really knows for certain how exactly exercise and depression interrelate. However it is recognized among many depression sufferers that exercise has proved to be a good way of improving their moods and lifting their emotions. In fact, the figures show that nearly two-thirds of all people surveyed who said that they had used various forms of exercise to relieve depression believed that the exercise had actually worked for them. Exercise and depression can be said to go hand in hand when looking for ways of how to cure depression.
