Exercise Eases Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety         

When you are depressed or anxious, exercise may seem like the last thing you can do, but there are definite medical reasons to work on becoming active.  According to the Mayo Clinic, studies show that 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week significantly improves symptoms of depression and anxiety, and as little as 10-15 minutes of daily exercise can improve mood in the short term.

The Benefits of Exercise for Mood

• Exercise has numerous psychological and emotional benefits when you are depressed or anxious.  The benefits include:
• Confidence gained from meeting the challenge of exercise and from feeling better about your appearance.
• Distraction from dwelling on how bad you feel and a shift in focus to something more positive.
• Interactions that develop from walks around the neighborhood or trips to the gym keep isolation at bay.
• Exercising releases brain chemicals that have been shown to improve mood.

Tips for Starting to Exercise when Depressed or Anxious

• Talk to your doctor about how an exercise program can fit into your overall treatment plan.
• Figure out what you enjoy doing.  Exercise can be walking, gardening, swimming, playing basketball with your kids—it doesn’t have to include a formal trip to the gym!
• Set reasonable goals.  Don’t decide you’re going to jog for an hour every day!  Instead, start with a firm commitment to 10 minutes of exercise 3 days a week, and build up.
• Don’t think of exercise as a burden, another “should” in your life.  Instead, look at it as one of the tools to help you get better.
• Address your barriers to exercise.  If you are self-conscious, exercise in the privacy of your home.  If you stick to goals better with a partner, find a friend to work out with.  If money is a problem, do something virtually cost-free—walk!
• Prepare for setbacks.  Exercise isn’t always easy or fun.  If you skip exercise one day, you are not a failure.  Just forgive yourself and try again the next day.