An article in #Harvard Health Publishing entitled, #Exercise is an all-natural treatment to fight #depression, states that “One in 10 adults in the United States struggles with depression, and antidepressant medications are a common way to treat the condition. However, pills aren’t the only solution. Research shows that exercise is also an effective treatment. ‘For some people, it works as well as antidepressants, although exercise alone isn’t enough for someone with severe depression,’ says Dr. #Michael Craig Miller, assistant professor of psychiatry at #Harvard Medical School.”
Some of the many benefits of exercise include protection against heart disease and diabetes, improved sleep, and lowered blood pressure. High-intensity exercise releases the body’s feel-good endorphins. Low-intensity exercise over time spurs the release of proteins called neurotrophic or growth factors, which cause nerve cells to grow and make new connections. Dr. Miller, explains that this resulting improvement in brain function makes you feel better which relieves depression. He recommends that you start with as little as five minutes a day walking or doing any activity you enjoy. Pretty soon the five will become 10 and the 10 will become 15.
After the death of my daughter, I began walking to fight off depression. It forced me to get out of the house. The nice thing about it was I only needed a pair of sneakers and I didn’t have to go to the gym and face other people. If I wanted to come home, I could just turn around and do so. Little by little I began to feel better. As a result, my sleep improved as well as my appetite. I did take antidepressants for about a week but have never needed them since. Years later, I can now exercise for an hour and a half without stopping. Water aerobics, walking, and lifting weights are my favorites.
In upcoming blogs, I will share other things I did to get over my daughter’s death. There’s a saying in life—if you want to keep moving, you have to keep moving. Luke 17:14 says, “As they went, they were healed.” In other words, as they exercised, they were healed. They experienced lowered blood pressure, improved sleep, decrease in heart disease and diabetes, and an increase in the production of feel-good endorphins.
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She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. Proverbs 31:17 NIV
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