Exercise reduces depression

[Sunshine40]

Lifting and working out got me out of a pretty dark place. I had a hard time transitioning from being a D1 football player to no longer being an athlete/ normal life. I didn't work out for like 3 years and got into the corporate life sucking world. After 3 years of that nonsense I decided to make a change. Changed my career path, and got my a$$ in the gym. 4 years later I'm in better shape now then when I was playing football and even my wife says I've completely 180° my attitude and life.

Best thing you can ever do is get your fitness under control.

 

[ztc92]

Love this, thank you for sharing. Wish more people viewed exercise as a viable treatment for their health issues.

Peter Attia has a quote I love that goes something like, “If exercise could be bottled and sold as a prescription drug, it would be the most successful treatment ever invented for the majority of chronic health conditions and it would vastly outperform all the currently approved prescription medications.”

 

[bluesulphur]

It's great to see this type of discussion happening more and more. For me, if I don't work out lots of small things become big things, and I will get weak and fat, neither of which make me feel very good about myself. Strength training and getting outside is how I manage to not go crazy living in our current society.

 

[IDVortex]

Funny I've actually been wanting to get into running again just to help with stress and depression lately. Another reason I'm trying to do some backpacking this year, including backpack hunting.

 

[rodney482]

100%

 

[Yoder]

Makes you wonder why Mental health professionals are so quick to prescribe medication. I've never heard one except Jordan Peterson recommend diet and exercise before giving out meds like candy. Our system is so broken it disgusts me.

 

[Rob5589]

Makes you wonder why Mental health professionals are so quick to prescribe medication. I've never heard one except Jordan Peterson recommend diet and exercise before giving out meds like candy. Our system is so broken it disgusts me.

The sad but true part is that people want the pills. The number of people I see that want the quick fix in the form of medication is pitiful.

 

[TaperPin]

Anything positive that takes someone’s mind off the negative helps. My ex mother in law used to say when someone is stressed they should go to work, when depressed work more, when you feel like things are getting better, take a little more overtime, and when a bunch of stuff just goes to schitt just get up and go to work. It didn’t make sense at the time, but there is value in keeping the mind busy, and more money is better than less money - it was her method to deal with a number of demons.

Also, never forget our self talk affects us more than we realize - stopping negative thoughts is a skill that gets better with practice and pays dividends if someone is predisposed to depression or not. Learning to tell yourself “not helpful” and moving on to something positive gets easier with repetition.

I hear very little about negative thought stopping and kids, or other important skills needed in a world with social media - they are turned loose with a device that can feed them positive or negative content all day, in rather addictive algorithms, if they have the tools to deal with the results or not. Social media companies have proven to not give two schitts - I stopped using Meta, X and most others as a silent protest. They can all go belly up for all I care for they are allowing.

It may come as a surprise, but when those without depression give advice on the subject, many eyes are silently rolling.

 

[timekiller13]

At the height of the pandemic I was stressed to the max. Working long hours in the ER was stressful enough, but then there was all the added life stress of everything else that came with the pandemic. I was drinking heavily, angry at everyone, gaining weight and just generally turning into a terrible person.

I started training for a marathon in Feb 2022 and haven’t looked back. I’ve ran in a few marathons now and started doing triathlons. I work out 5 days a week. I’m in better shape at 40 than I was in my early 20s in my Army days. I’m happier than I’ve been in years. And it’s reflected in my family life. I find joy in things that I once took for granted. I can’t wait to get out of bed every morning and take on the day. And at night, when I lay my head down, my mind is clear and I sleep like a rock.

 

[DustyCogs]

I think many of us that workout regularly intuitively know this but now multiple randomized studies confirm that exercise is one of the best treatments for depression…,
Study is HERE at the BMJ.com website

Commentary on Zero Hedge;

Key Findings​

They found that walking or jogging, yoga, strength training, and dancing were the most effective exercise modalities when used alone without medical treatment, and that certain exercises affected men and women differently. Notably, walking and jogging were effective for both men and women, while strength training and cycling were more effective for women and younger people. Yoga and qigong were more effective for men and older adults, while aerobic exercise positively impacted men more than women when used with psychotherapy.

Across all modalities, more intense exercise such as running, interval training, strength training, and mixed aerobic exercise yielded greater benefits, although even light physical activity such as walking or hatha yoga still provided “clinically meaningful effects.” The benefits of exercise were equally effective at different weekly doses for those with other medical conditions and baseline levels of depression.

Overall, dance outperformed all other exercises and established treatments for depression, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive behavioral therapy.
————-


Cut and paste from a section of the study itself;

Results 218 unique studies with a total of 495 arms and 14 170 participants were included. Compared with active controls (eg, usual care, placebo tablet), moderate reductions in depression were found for walking or jogging (n=1210, κ=51, Hedges’ g −0.62, 95% credible interval −0.80 to −0.45), yoga (n=1047, κ=33, g −0.55, −0.73 to −0.36), strength training (n=643, κ=22, g −0.49, −0.69 to −0.29), mixed aerobic exercises (n=1286, κ=51, g −0.43, −0.61 to −0.24), and tai chi or qigong (n=343, κ=12, g −0.42, −0.65 to −0.21).

The effects of exercise were proportional to the intensity prescribed. Strength training and yoga appeared to be the most acceptable modalities. Results appeared robust to publication bias, but only one study met the Cochrane criteria for low risk of bias. As a result, confidence in accordance with CINeMA was low for walking or jogging and very low for other treatments.


Conclusions Exercise is an effective treatment for depression, with walking or jogging, yoga, and strength training more effective than other exercises, particularly when intense. Yoga and strength training were well tolerated compared with other treatments.

Exercise appeared equally effective for people with and without comorbidities and with different baseline levels of depression. To mitigate expectancy effects, future studies could aim to blind participants and staff. These forms of exercise could be considered alongside psychotherapy and antidepressants as core treatments for depression.

Old news

 

[Vaultman]

I am surprised they do not mention swimming. One hour in the pool is very therapeutic. Many PT recommend swimming as one of the best options, don’t get the body pounding that running/jogging causes.

The end of this month marks two years after I started swimming. The last year and a half, I swim 3-6 days a week with a club/team. It has changed my life. One of the best parts about swimmers is they work out early in the morning, especially the club I wim with. I wake up at 4:20 and everyones in the water at 5. Done at 6. Then I can be to the office before 7!

I hated swimming until I stared 2 years ago. I was a runner way in my past, and just never learned swimming form. My wife was a HS swimmer and I wanted a hobby with her. Now, I cannot imagine going without it. I would go crazy.

Something about waking up early to exercise just makes my whole day better!

 

[*zap*]

exercise is good for the mind/body as is any outdoor activity...

 

[DangerRanger]

It can be helpful, but it as a statistically significant treatment does not mean you can turn it around and say lack of it is a causal factor of current depression ratings

It also isn’t a perfect solution for everything, and many very active people struggle with it. One of the hardest parts of mental Illness is how personal treatment plans may need to be and how personal each illness may be.

I have a few anxiety disorders and exercise is very helpful for me, I do not care for medication though I have tried it in the past, but exercise helps a lot. As does some mindfulness exercise and breathing exercises. Unfortunately for people with depression, their illness itself often creates a large roadblock to exercise where as anxiety illness has less of that.

Personally, I think all people old and young are on their phones too much and I think there is a social stigma around mental illness in the older age groups that means they are vastly under diagnosed compared to younger groups.

 

[Yoder]

The sad but true part is that people want the pills. The number of people I see that want the quick fix in the form of medication is pitiful.

It's the same thing with the new weight loss shots like Ozempic. I honestly think this country is done. Nobody wants to work. Everyone wants everything for free. The obesity rate last year was 42%. Army recruiting ads are cartoons about a girl with two moms. We are the joke of the world right now.

 

[Beendare]

Its not the plugged in part, its that they aren't engaged with something that is challenging their bodies and their mind. When you aren't challenged on a daily basis, you get inside your own head. The more you're inside your own head, you start negative reinforcement of things you don't like and it becomes a self feeding process.

Hence an idle mind is the devils workshop

Yep, you nailed it.

Heck, thats basic Grandparent advice right there.... my grandparents used to say that a lot.
Turns out they were way ahead of their time, Eh?

Seems like it's a bit of a taboo topic for some families.

 

[doc holiday13]

Yep, you nailed it.

Heck, thats basic Grandparent advice right there.... my grandparents used to say that a lot.
Turns out they were way ahead of their time, Eh?

Seems like it's a bit of a taboo topic for some families.

I have 2 step kids, both teens. Their dad is part of their life but doesn't really push them to have ambitions. Its been a struggle and exercise is how we've been coping

 

[miket]

Getting back into Motocross at 54 works pretty good too.
View attachment 720421

As a kid I never felt like riding was exercise, but I started riding again a few yrs ago and realized it is...well it is at 49yo anyway. But I did find that Im much more fragile now, while doing a wheelie it came over on me ( like it has plenty of times before ) but something went wrong and broke my ankle in 3 places and tore all the ligaments. A surgery with multiple screws fixed me right up....kinda

 

[KHNC]

As a kid I never felt like riding was exercise, but I started riding again a few yrs ago and realized it is...well it is at 49yo anyway. But I did find that Im much more fragile now, while doing a wheelie it came over on me ( like it has plenty of times before ) but something went wrong and broke my ankle in 3 places and tore all the ligaments. A surgery with multiple screws fixed me right up....kinda

Yeah I was out of MX for 22 years until January 2023. I have a .6 Mile track at the house, and i hit a few local tracks to practice occasionally too. Racing again is out of course. Two nights ago i slid out in a turn, since it continues to rain 3 days a week here in NC. That was the one day i didnt wear my chest protector. Landed on a clump of packed dirt and bruised my ribs. Still rode another 20 mins or so after. Then once i got back to the couch , i was hurting like hell. lol. Today is pretty good and i hope to get some laps in. I just turned 55 and I can get worn out in 15 mins of steady riding. Even though i go to the gym 3-4 days a week still. Riding is a helluva work out for sure. Hope you are healed up good!!

 

[doc holiday13]

i ran a 1/2 mile today.. not a fan lol. I'd rather ruck 1 mile with a 100# load

 

[Gorp2007]

Makes you wonder why Mental health professionals are so quick to prescribe medication. I've never heard one except Jordan Peterson recommend diet and exercise before giving out meds like candy. Our system is so broken it disgusts me.

The sad but true part is that people want the pills. The number of people I see that want the quick fix in the form of medication is pitiful.

Doctors prescribe diet and exercise all the time. Then patients return the following year with the same issues and get tired of hearing about their weight and the importance of diet and exercise. My whole family thinks that doctors are the devil because all they want to talk about is diet and exercise to lose weight. They're all overweight and have chronic health problems as a result, but think the doctors are just assholes who don't want to help them because they're fat-phobic.