The below is a summary of an essay written some years ago when I was in college about how exercise can improve our ability to become more compatible with the world around us. I’ve learned this first hand. It’s been edited into AP format because it’s a more interesting read.
I believe in the power that exercise can have on our mental health.
This isn’t medical advice, really, please consult a doctor if you’re having trouble. Know that someone believes you can still be the best version of yourself and if you need it, get the help.
We have all felt sadness at some point in our lives.
As part of our human psychology, our ability to comprehend and create, to feel and think, we often find ourselves drifting or jolting to emotional extremes as our minds take in and dissect the world around us. Some of us will grow up in stable environments with nurturing parents and good educational opportunities, some keys to raising a human with a healthy mental attitude.
Yet some of us will not.
For those who fall into depression, there are ways to begin the climb back out. Exercise can be used as an effective tool to help manage the symptoms in individuals experiencing mild to moderate depression.
This disease of the mind affects about 9.7% of the American population at any time and nearly 20% of all Americans will suffer from a serious depressive episode at some point in their lives (Kessler et al.). Humans can experience short depressive episodes at times and this is completely normal, as long as these episodes don’t last into the long term or negatively affect one’s life.
In fact, some people have personalities that are naturally depressive and will regularly fall into depression or seem continuously mildly depressed. Others will be more prone to falling into these depressive states due to childhood or adolescent experiences (Christine et al.).
As depression is a mental disease there are many people who will never come forward about their symptoms in an attempt to avoid the social stigma associated with it. It is a disease that is commonly misdiagnosed or left untreated and the true numbers of people affected across the country could very well be higher (Harvard).
Great advances in medicine have allowed for many people suffering from depression to be treated with pharmaceutical drugs. These drugs have no doubt saved countless lives over the years, which I can personally attest to within the confines of my own family. But there are other ways to decrease your chances of falling into depression without the use of medications and studies have shown that getting into a regular exercise routine can be vital to accomplishing that.
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 1999, divided a group of 156 men and women with clinically diagnosed depression into three separate groups.
One of the groups was given an aerobic exercise regimen, one group was given an anti-depressant and one group was given both.
At the 4-month point, approximately 65% of the people in all three groups could no longer be classified as having depression and all groups scored essentially the same on two separate depression rating scales.
A follow-up study was done that found that exercise’s effects lasted longer than the effects of anti-depressants. Researchers interviewed 133 of the original patients six months after the completion of the first study. Those who continued with the regular exercise program after completing the study, regardless of which group they were initially placed in, were less likely to fall back into depression (Miller et al.).
It would seem as though keeping up with an exercise routine could help eliminate the chances of falling into depression all together. Some research has shown that most humans suffering from depression are less fit and have a diminished physical capacity which in turn may contribute to other detrimental health factors, all leading to an increasing likeliness of staying in a depressive state (Morgan).
Research suggests that those who stay involved in an exercise routine display significantly better improvements in anxiety, depression and self-concept than those who do not participate in a routine.
The socialization aspect of getting involved with a group fitness program can also help in negating the effects of depression in an individual. Working together in a group with like-minded people can help to ease anxiety that commonly comes with depression and help individuals put their situation into perspective. Individuals suffering from depression tend to avoid social situations and breaking this habit could help the subject progress to a mentally positive state.
There are many contributing factors as to why exercise may be beneficial in helping to fight off depression.
One known fact is that exercise can enhance the action of endorphins. Endorphins are naturally produced chemicals inside your body which improve natural immunity and reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins, along with the stimulation of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine through exercise can directly affect ones mood toward the positive direction and overall feeling of well-being.
Along with these biochemical changes, exercise can offer other benefits, such as boosting your self-esteem, lowering blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and aiding in weight loss, all of which would otherwise be contributing factors to feeling poorly and depression.
There are some who also suggest that involving yourself in an exercise program leads to better quality sleep and thus, a mind more capable of handling the mental difficulties encountered with each day and a better overall attitude less prone to moving into a depressive state. (Driver).
How much time should one dedicate to a fitness program and how intensely should one exercise?
It does not appear as though exercising longer or more strenuously correlates with increased overall mental well-being. A study has shown that “moderate-intensity exercise (60%-80% maximum heart rate) generally produces greater enjoyment than more intense activity.” (Berger et al.)
It is recommended that one generally perform moderate-intensity exercise of at least 30 minutes per day, five times per week to see the greatest benefits from exercise on your mental attitude. The key is to not exercise too long or too hard to the point that you are no longer enjoying it.
The best course of action is to find an activity that is enjoyable and fits the lifestyle and schedule of the subject well in order to continue with the exercise routine without external influences breaking it.
There are pharmaceutical solutions to depression, but most studies done on the subject of exercise and effects on individuals with depression have come to the conclusion that exercise can positively affect one’s mental attitude and help fight the symptoms of depression.
When used in conjunction with prescribed medications, it can help keep individuals prone to depression from falling back into it for much longer periods of time than just medications alone.
When used by itself, exercise can be an effective preventative maintenance tool to help prevent many of the precursors to depression and has been shown to help those with mild depression symptoms progress out of their illness as long as an exercise routine is continuously followed.
Works Cited
Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, and Zhao S. et al. “Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey.” Arch Gen Psychiatry. Jan 1994. Accessed 28 Jan 2017. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8279933.
Christine Heim, D. Jeffrey Newport, Tanja Mletzko, Andrew H. Miller, Charles B. Nemeroff. “The link between childhood trauma and depression: Insights from HPA axis studies in humans”. Psychoneuroendocrinology, July 2008. Accessed 29 Jan 2017. psyneuen-journal.com/article/S0306-4530(08)00069-3/abstract?cc=y=.
Harvard Medical School, Miller, Craig M. et al. “Exercise and Depression.” Understanding Depression, Harvard Health Publications, 2013. Accessed 29 Jan 2017. health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-and-depression-report-excerpt.
Morgan WP. “Selected physiological and psychomotor correlates of depression in psychiatric patients.” US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Dec 1968. Accessed 29 Jan 2017. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/#i1523-5998-6-3-104-b11.
Driver HS, Taylor SR, et al. “Exercise and sleep.” Sleep Med Review. US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. 2000. Accessed 29 Jan 2017. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/.
Berger BG, Owen DR. “Relation of low and moderate intensity exercise with acute mood change in college joggers.” Perception Motor Skills. US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. 1998. Accessed 29 Jan 2017. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/.
