I felt lethargic — like doing nothing at all. As I lounged around the house, unmotivated for weekend chores, I tried to get going: sipping hot cocoa, reading a book, listening to music. Nothing was helping.
Then I had an idea. I hopped on my bike for a short ride. Soon, with a breeze blowing in my face, bird trills filling the air and sun poking through the clouds, I started waking up.
Bumping over a bridge, I could smell the damp vegetation after a rain.
I felt invigorated — an active participant in life instead of a bystander. Within 30 minutes, I had made a complete turnaround.
The mood change exercise brings can be dramatic, which makes it more difficult to sustain negative feelings.
Depression affects about 5 percent of American adults at any given time, and the majority of us will experience at least brief periods of feeling down or blue at some point in our lives.
Exercise can help by encouraging feelings of well-being and a positive outlook on life.
Activity benefits
Mental distraction. Exercise helps take your mind off your troubles. Walking or biking with a friend with a sympathetic ear may be especially helpful.
Emotional release. Exercise tires you in a good way, easing tension and releasing pent-up feelings. It can give you a chance to focus, recharge your batteries, or be truly alone. You may also sleep more soundly.
Greater feeling of mastery. Low self-esteem is a common response to loss of control in our lives. Exercising regularly is a way of gaining back that control. As you make progress in your activity program—toning muscles, or increasing mileage—you can’t help but give off more positive vibrations and start feeling better about yourself.
Extra energy. The more energy you expend during exercise, the more energy you’ll have. And the energy flow continues to improve as you grow fitter.
Scientists interested in the mental benefits of exercise have made other exciting discoveries.
For example, during treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate depression, they’ve found that exercise can be as effective as counseling or drugs. And exercise combined with counseling is even more effective than counseling alone.
There’s also evidence that exercise can help keep depression from occurring in the first place.
Inside the brain
Your brain is a vast circuit of nerve cells that work together to regulate how you walk, think and feel. These cells secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters that tell your body what to do. It’s at the molecular level during physical activity, scientists have learned, that your body battles fatigue and depression.
Endorphins. When you exercise vigorously, your brain releases endorphins — opium-like compounds that ease pain and produce a sense of well-being or even euphoria. The fitter you are, the greater the output of these pain-relieving hormones.
Serotonin. Exercise encourages your brain to secrete neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. A deficiency of these substances may contribute to depression. When depressed patients exercise, they’re able to increase internal production of these natural anti-depressants—without taking drugs, researchers have found.
Alpha waves. Walking, cycling and other types of rhythmic exercise increase the alpha-wave activity in your brain. Researchers have found that this type of electrical pattern has a calming effect on the brain similar to meditation.
My short spin around the block turned into a two-hour tour. By the time I returned home, I was feelin’ good — refreshed and ready to tackle the day.
For more information: National Institute of Mental Health, www.nimh.nih.gov.
Contact Dr. Elizabeth Smoots, a board-certified family physician and fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, at doctor@practicalprevention.com. Her columns are not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Before adhering to any recommendations in this column consult your health care provider.
&Copy; 2007 Elizabeth S. Smoots
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