Is Fitness the Push You Need to Combat Depression?

Channeling your mind to other objectives can create confidence within yourself to keep moving forward, even with the smallest of achievements.

One of the most difficult mental states to sit in, and maybe the hardest part is not knowing when this blue wave will end. During this time period, you may think, the last thing you want to do is focus your energy and mental space on something physically energy depleting and difficult. Wrong, this is the first thing you should do! Channeling your mind to other objectives can create confidence within yourself to keep moving forward, even with the smallest of achievements.

Biochemistry is magic

At first, you won't believe it, but with time your brain re-wires itself. No engineering necessary from your hands. Your body just knows and gets signaled with endorphins. Endorphins are basically like magic, well basically all biochemistry is magic, but they are specifically a group of hormones that activate opiate receptors. Silently & invisibly - they target pain & stress relief. Then in reality - they leave us more resilient.

I am sharing here a journal article and its findings, and although it doesn't mention endorphins, it does verify that exercise when compared to SSRI's, or psychotherapy, could be more effective for treating depression.

Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-075847.long

Before my brief synopsis, I would like to mention that typically systematic reviews could be more important and informative than a single article itself, in my opinion. This technique, gathers anywhere form 3 to hundreds of articles to compare and contrast, and compile an umbrella of probability that could be applied to most of the general population. Within each article the actual benefit or objective sometimes can get lost in the details depending on how specific the individual theories and hypotheses are.

The reports they exclude are important because this establishes the genuinity of the review

The reviewers noted whether the participants were intensely exercising, duration, and occurrence per week. The reviewers also considered the credibility of each article based on indirectness, bias, imprecision, and heterogeneity. The reports they exclude are important because this establishes the genuinity of the review.

The article defines exercise as planned, and structured bodily movements, that are repetitive and executed for physical fitness. This included multiple studies of yoga, cycling, dancing, strength training, tai chi, walking, jogging. All participants must have been clinically diagnosed with depression, and identified with a rating scale of severity. The factors that defined overcoming depression included neurobiological mechanisms, such as experiential acceptance, increased self-efficacy, promoting mindfulness.

Source: bmj.com

Exercise provides a low cost alternative to this global burden

Here are some takeaways from the 200 articles :

• The movements in isolation that were deemed most effective were walking, jogging, yoga, strength training, and dancing.

• The review suggests complimenting these movements with behavior therapy may be superior.

• Aerobic exercise accompanied self-control.

• Yoga accompanied self-compassion and was more effective in older adults.

• Strength training was most effective for women versus men.

• Group exercise could provide support to achieve better outcomes.

• To further decrease depression symptoms, you can increase intensity in exercise

• Exercise provides a low cost alternative to this global burden

Stay connected,

Coach Bex