
Exercise for depression Regular exercise is one of the best ways to treat depression. Regular exercise can save thousands of dollars which you spend on your mental health professional fees and antidepressant
Studies show that regular exercise reduces the risk of serious mental health problems include depression, schizophrenia, and stress-related issues such as anxiety.
Regular exercise not only helps to treat mental health problems but also make you look more fit – and feel better about yourself and life in General and improve your overall confidence
Table Of Content
- Exercise and mental health
- Does exercise help treat depression?
- Benifit of exercise
- How much exercise is required
Exercise and mental health
Exercise has been found to decrease feelings of stress, anxiety and depression and improve your mood. This is because during exercise brain release the hormones which helps to regulate anxiety,stress and reduces feelings of depression.
During exercise brain also releases endorphins hormone, which make you feel good and make you feel happier as a result- The amazing thing is, you don't need to do an intense workout for the effects, but just being active can help make you happier
Regular exercise also improve brain function and help memory and thinking skills- during Exercise your heart rate increases which promotes the flow of oxygen and blood to brain,helping it function more effectively.
Exercise also increase the production of hormones that can enhance the growth of brain cells- ...and exercise has been shown to grow the hippocampus, hippocampus is a part of the brain that's vital for memory and learning
Also read:-Does super brain yoga work for depression
Does exercise help treat depression?
Countless scientific studies have showed the connection between exercise and depression.
Studies appeared in a article in The New York Times in the first study scientists examined 1.1 million adult men and women that’s right and measured their levels of fitness and how depressed they were and they found this striking correlation between levels of fitness and the level of depression turns out that the top third of aerobic fitness compared to the people in the bottom third the people in the bottom third were 75 percent more likely to become depressed than the people in the top third of fitness and in the middle third of people they were 25% more likely to be depressed again than the top third so bottom third 75% more likely to be depressed middle third 25% more likely to be depressed hence a clear correlation between level of fitness and your mental health in the second study researchers pulled together 25 previous study in which people in the middle of a depressive episode were asked to begin an exercise program
This program consisted of moderate exercise such as brisk walking jogging hiking bicycle riding what they found was that sure enough when people began an exercise program and completed it it had a large and significant effect in terms of Lessing depression.
Also read :- Is Depression Curable? How to Manage Symptoms
Benifit of exercise are:-
Exercise provides relief from stress
Exercise increases the production of happy hormones.
It enhances self-confidence
Exercise Releases Positive Hormones
The release of “Feel good” Hormones
Improves cognitive function
Greater Calm & Clarity
A Confidence Boost.
Better Overall Health.
Exercise improve cardio-respiratory status
How much exercise is required
Studies show that children and adolescents require one hour or more of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity daily to include vigorous activity at least three days a week
Examples of moderate aerobic activity would be brisk walking vigorous aerobic activities are like jogging running playing basketball playing soccer okay what about adults adults at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity again that’s like brisk walking five days a week or 45 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity three days a week but as the optimum the very best thing for you to do to be as healthy as possible is to strive for moderate aerobic activity five hours a week or vigorous aerobic activity two-and-a-half hour a week along with resistance activity that’s like you know lifting weights free weights yoga Pilates bands so that’s the muscle strengthening activity at least two days a week and for older adults the recommendations
FAQ
How exercise can improve mental health?
Exercise helps to strengthen the brain. Exercise helps the brain produce chemicals which support brain function. It enhances the hippocampus part of the brain; hippocampus facilitates learning and memory. It boosts brain power and sharpens memory, higher-thinking, and decision-making
Is exercise is as effective as antidepressants?
Yes, Research shows that exercise is a powerful intervention for patients suffering from clinical depression (Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2006). Establishing an exercise routine will help fight depression not only right now, but in the future as well. Sticking with your workout routine will maintain not only your physical health but your mental health as well.
Which type of exercise is good for depression?
The truth is that just about any type of exercise can help improve depression and anxiety. Your physical activity must be joyous.
Is Jogging good for depression?
Yes, Jogging is very beneficial for treating depression because Jogging increases the level of the feel-good hormone and serotonin hormone in the person’s brain.
Why it is hard to do exercise when you are depressed?
When you are in a state of depression, you will feel as though you have no motivation for anything, nothing excites you, nothing interests you, and even the smallest tasks can feel unconquerable.
When you are depressed, the only thing that makes sense to you is the thought of curling up in bed and closing your eyes in the hope that the world and everything in it will just disappear.
Can regular exercise prevent depression relapse?
Yes, regular exercise can prevent depression relapse; one studies show that group taking medication in the study, 38% had relapsed into depression, whereas only 8% had relapsed among the exercise group.
Do low-intensity exercise help to treat depression?
Yes, even good old housework can be used as a means of physical exercise. Obviously there is a lot of physical effort involved in doing work around the home so this will have a positive effect on your physical body, but also at the same time you will feel really good mentally about getting the work done, and the cleanliness of the space that you have developed. Housework works wonders to improve your physical and mental condition
References
The benefits of exercise for the clinically depressed. (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/
Systematic review of meta-analyses: Exercise effects on depression in children and adolescents. (n.d.). Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00081/full
Effectiveness of physical exercise in the treatment of depression in older adults as an alternative to antidepressant drugs in primary care. (n.d.). BMC Psychiatry. https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-018-1982-6
Regular exercise may help lower your risk of depression. (2018, April 25). nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/regular-exercise-may-help-lower-your-risk-depression/
Harvard Health Publishing. (2020, April 6). Exercise is an all-natural treatment to fight depression. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-depression
Exercise as a treatment modality for depression: A narrative review. (n.d.). ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090506817303081
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