Try Exercise To Fight Depression
Depression can occur from many causes. It might be rooted in a personal loss, whether a loved one, job, or relationship. In some cases, depression is purely physical and occurs due to health issues. Once you go to your healthcare professional to rule out a physical illness, consider ways to deal with the depression. In most cases, exercise can help. That doesn’t mean it is a substitute for severe depression. You should seek professional help for that. Mental health professionals often suggest exercise as an adjunct therapy. It works better than many medications without any side effects.
Exercising improves circulation.
Exercising boosts circulation. It causes you to breathe deeper, providing even more oxygen. The oxygen and nutrient-laden blood goes to all parts of the body. It causes an increase in blood flow to the brain to provide more nutrients and oxygen necessary for the brain to function at its best. It helps improve cognitive functioning, memory, brain health, and the growth of new brain cells and neural pathways.
The new neural pathways and brain plasticity can help rewire the brain.
All types of exercise can help rewire the brain, but the best ones require learning new moves, such as dancing. Using new twists to well-known forms of exercise helps. If you walk for exercise, focusing on turning it into a HIIT—high-intensity interval training—workout helps. You can use it for any exercise. It’s alternating between peak performance for a short period and a recovery pace for the same time or longer. Focusing on the exercise diverts thoughts of depression.
Exercise, particularly intense exercise, increases the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate.
The increased production of these two neurotransmitters improves mood. They can eliminate mild depression and reduce the symptoms of severe depression. Intense exercise has also proven beneficial for people with other disorders like bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. It boosts BDNF, a protein that regulates mood, adding to the changes already discussed.
- Exercise boosts the number and variety of beneficial microbes in the gut that affect your emotions. Your gut microbes produce waste and enzymes that trigger a brain reaction that can improve your mood.
- Exercise can help you burn off the hormones of stress. Stress can cause depression. Exercise also causes the body to release hormones that make you feel good and at ease.
- Exercise improves your posture. You’ll look more confident and walk taller when you exercise. That confident posture makes people treat you with more respect, which causes you to feel more in charge and less depressed.
- You don’t have to exercise for hours every day to reap benefits. Just 150 to 300 minutes of mild exercise a week can help. Take opportunities to increase your activity if you don’t want a formal exercise program. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and find ways to walk more.
For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training