Exercise For Depression And Anxiety
Lots of research supports the benefits of exercise to make us less vulnerable to anxiety and depression. In fact, we know that exercise is as effective in the treatment of depression as the SSRI drugs. Why does this matter to our health and wellness? Mental illness is a state of ongoing stress reactivity. We experience it in our depressed or anxious mood, but the stress hormones continuously released are corrosive to the healthy function of our physiological systems in ways we don’t directly experience — until they show up in pain and or disease. At that point, the mood problems are part of the bigger picture of unwellness. A holistic approach is crucial, however, exercise will always be part of it — for prevention, and for healing.
Finding the time to exercise in our busy lives can be very difficult for most people. As we have to deal with getting the children fed and dressed for school in the mornings, exercising in the morning is not ideal. Then we head to work for an 8-hour shift, maybe more, not including the commute to your job. Once you’re finally off work, you have to go pick up your children from childcare and finally drive home. Unfortunately, that’s not where your day ends. Once you’re home, you have to cook dinner for your family, try and have a nice family dinner, and then clean up and do the other chores that are quickly building up on your list. At this point, it’s already 8 p.m. and all you want to do is take a shower and get in bed. But what about your daily exercise? When are you realistically supposed to find time to exercise without the ability to create an extra hour in your day?
Exercising Over The Weekend
You can fit in your exercise during the weekend! Here’s a good and concise review, including this encouragement that it’s OK to be a weekend warrior if you can’t find the time to exercise during the week.
A recent study in the UK found that people who squeeze their exercise routines into one or two sessions at the weekend experience almost as many health benefits as those who work out more often. So don’t let a busy schedule at work, home, or school be an excuse to avoid activity. Get moving whenever you can find the time—your mind and body will thank you!
Just remember to respect your fitness level and not injure yourself!
https://www.livestrong.com/article/84419-health-benefits-muscular-strength-…
If you’ve already tried adding exercise for anxiety and depression in your routine but still need more direction, contact us to make an appointment for virtual stress resilience coaching. Alternatively, you can visit our clinic in Chapel Hill, NC and we can provide you with help by using different methods, such as functional medicine to discover and combat what’s going wrong and tackle your anxiety and depression. Whether you are suffering from anxiety and depression or trauma and PTSD, feel free to contact us for help today.