Manage Your Depression Through Exercise

[Melalvai]

by Jane Baxter

I just read this and I thought it was a really great book. Has anyone else read it? I am a big fan of exercise because it is such a great therapy for a host of diseases and disorders. I already have an exercise program so I read this to learn more about the effect of exercise on depression.

Understanding that there are all kinds of depression and nothing, even exercise, is a 100% cure for everyone, I was really pleased with the book. It alternates between a fairly simple beginning exercise program (assuming the reader probably doesn't have much fitness at all) and strategies to cope with depression.

I was a little uncertain at first because it's a fairly short book and seemed like it might be a quick fix for a complex problem. But there's quite a lot of information and coping strategies packed into it. I really liked the explanations of the evidence not just that exercise is effective but HOW it works, on a molecular level.

While I do have an exercise program already I did gain something from the chapter on nutrition, some strategies for kicking my sugar addiction. I quit eating sugar two years ago-- except for when I do. And lately, I've been eating more sugar/ HFCS/ junk food than ever, and I hate it. So I've been struggling with that and I learned that in addition to using junk food to express rebellious feelings, I also use it when I'm feeling lonely.

I would make two small changes to this book--I would suggest at the beginning that the suggested exercise program is just a suggestion, there are other valid programs to try. The reason I would do that is because personally I feel overwhelmed by all the exercise programs I encounter, right now I'm wanting to increase core strength and there are just lots of options, I'm not sure where to begin sometimes.

The other thing I would do is emphasize the issue of disabilities. There is a brief mention in the appendix for disabled people but no alternative exercises presented or any discussion of where to find accessible exercises. This is important because I know a LOT of people whose excuse not to exercise is their bad knees. They don't consider themselves disabled. So addressing that particular excuse would go a long way to reaching some of these people.

Just wanted to throw my little book review out here, of course it's a little bit preaching to the choir.

[Crankin]

Exercise is considered a empirically based treatment for mild to moderate depression, and there's no argument really from any segment of the behavioral health community. Lots of science to back it up.
I just get worried that some would see it as an alternative to other therapies, rather than a treatment to be used in conjunction with talk therapy, meditation, yoga, or medication. No one thing works for every person, and sometimes people get stuck in that there is only one way to treat something. I wish more people actually used exercise as a treatment. It's something that I discuss, support, and put into the treatment plan (which is done in conjunction with my clients) of almost every adult/adolescent I work with and quite a few of the kids. I go out of my way to spend time in working with people to develop realistic ways to begin.
Once in awhile one of the moms of the kids I work with asks me how I can stand the "stress of my job." My answer is "riding my bike, nordic skiing, and going to the gym."

[azfiddle]

My DH has suffered moderate to severe depression for much of his life. It got much worse a few years after he went through cancer treatment, and it was really affecting our family. He was on anti-depressants for a while, but disliked the side-effects.

Two things assisted him in moving to less severe and less frequent depression:
1) His doctor prescribed Trazodone, to regulate his sleep pattern (he would wake up after only 4-6 hours of sleep for most of his life)

2) He started exercising regularly- commuting to work by bicycle and training for a marathon. He took himself off of the anti-depressant and did not fall back into depression. On the now rare occasions when the negativity starts to surface, I'll tell him he needs to go for a run or take a bike ride. Of course, now I that I ride a bike too, sometimes we go together. It has truly helped him.

[Kiwi Stoker]

And then there's the issue of if you become sick or ill and cannot exercise and become depressed.

Heaps of people in my cycle club who had serious accidents (broken hips, legs etc) all said that actually NOT being able to exercise was one of the reasons they became depressed, esepecially if their injury was going to take a long time to heal or possibly mean being unable to ride again. I would like to see strategies to overcome this. Becuase once you at the point in physical health and are doing events etc it's very hard to deal with all your friends part-taking while you cannot. And I don't think doctors know how to deal with it as they say "oh go for a walk" well sorry doc, that doesn't do it for me anymore!

[Crankin]

That is very true, Kiwi. The first example, someone who is injured, and will take a long time to heal is one case. The other, someone who can never do "their" sport again, is a different problem. There are therapists who specialize in sports psychology, and they deal with stuff like this. There's a grieving process involved, especially in the second case, and it's a major life transition, so all of the issues that would be involved with that are present.
I've experienced the first, and I always looked at an enforced "break" from riding, or at earlier point in my life, from teaching fitness classes, as the time to learn something new, that met the same need. While I may not have liked it at first, I generally focused on that, and healing, so I could eventually get back to riding.
AZ, I love your husband's story. Sleep issues affect so many people, and I really didn't realize this until I did my first internship.

[soprano]

And then there's the issue of if you become sick or ill and cannot exercise and become depressed.

Yes.

I was raised by people who view depression, and mental illness in general, as a sign of weakness. Whenever I read about exercise being recommended to help with depression, I worry that the mental illness stigma is going to get that much worse, because it becomes even easier to point fingers and say, "If only you would get off your tail end and work harder, you wouldn't be this way!"

[westtexas]

And then there's the issue of if you become sick or ill and cannot exercise and become depressed.

Heaps of people in my cycle club who had serious accidents (broken hips, legs etc) all said that actually NOT being able to exercise was one of the reasons they became depressed, esepecially if their injury was going to take a long time to heal or possibly mean being unable to ride again. I would like to see strategies to overcome this. Becuase once you at the point in physical health and are doing events etc it's very hard to deal with all your friends part-taking while you cannot. And I don't think doctors know how to deal with it as they say "oh go for a walk" well sorry doc, that doesn't do it for me anymore!

I agree with this. I've been 2 months off the bike, except for two short, sporadic rides. The winter weather hasn't helped either (32F outside with 30mph winds? No thanks!). I have a lot of stress right now from my job, the possibility of moving again this summer for a new job and my loneliness due to distance from family.

This past week in PT they put me with an athletic trainer, so instead of doing these octogenarian stretching exercises, I'm doing kettle bells and squats and using the machines. It's hard work and I've never been so tired, but I love it. My mood is completely reversed. I rode this weekend with my group for the first time since November and it made me even happier. The more I exercise, the happier I am and the less my life stress affects me. It's great.

[shootingstar]

I don't really think about much on the "best" type of exercise for me. I figure the best thing for me for past few months, is simply to do "it" --be it cycling, snowshoeing or walking.

I'm probably dealing with a mild depression..because I still think lots about a sister who died. I'm also in a city where I don't know many people well vice versa.

I'm probably not crediting my regular cycling enough for helping me cope better with very major things that happened in life in past 15 months.

[Melalvai]

Yes to everything everyone's said...

Exercise isn't a cure all and it is no wonder that a sister's death affects you profoundly. Hopefully exercise is helping you cope, but it would be kind of creepy if you could just go exercise and then not feel sad about your sister. Your sadness and hurt are a testimony to how much you loved her.

I seriously have thought it would be nice to have a wheelchair on hand for those times when my legs need to heal but I need exercise. It helps that my employer pays my membership to a pool so I can swim regularly. After I injured my ankle last spring, my exercising went WAY down, and I wish in retrospect I'd taken advantage of the time to swim a lot more, so that I'd be better prepared for the triathlon in September, instead of saying "well we're moving, I don't have time to exercise anyway".

There is also a section in that book about sleep and how important it is to your mood...and how exercise helps you sleep better.

I do think the author did a good job of emphasizing exercise as adjunct treatment. She mentions several times other treatment options to get a handle on whatever issue she's covering in that chapter-- in addition to exercise.

[shootingstar]

Melavi:

I agree, exercise can be adjunct treatment for more complex problems that cause depression.

Exercise alone, does not repair a less than desirable relationship with loved ones. Therapy does and empathetic listeners who offer useful thoughts and listening ear. Exercise however, helps give personal overall physical strength and energy ...to live, get up and get out of bed to be with others.

I would consider exercise as one of the important ways to set myself free. Other ways that set me free is just not also good close face to face friends, is turning to 1-2 other non-exercise activities.

It could be writing, art, music/playing an instrument/singing, cooking, etc. Something that nourishes spiritually/ the Muse/creativity, etc. So for now I blog, about the best that I have seen, experienced so far. Now, in addition to cycling, is my personal drive to blog-highlight some good stuff for loved ones and whomever else maybe interested.


Then there's other stuff that's an occasional reminder to me, how precious life and good health can be:

About 5 months ago, a long-time, local cycling advocate crashed when he was paragliding. (which he did for last few yrs.) He is now a quadriplegic, bound to a wheelchair, for life. He's 58 yrs. old. The cycling community was shocked and individually sent forth their wishes to him.

He cried when he received the tributes....because he had no idea how much he touched /reached out to the cycling community.