Drug rehab, AA, non-fame whoring parents, a decent meal and clothing other than leggings and mini skirts – these are all things that would considerably increase Lindsay Lohan’s standard of living (and let’s be honest, odds of survival). But according to new research, what Lindsay really needs is an exercise intervention. Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and Michael Otto, psychology professor at Boston University, did a comprehensive meta analysis of the existing research on depression, anxiety and exercise and concluded that “Exercise is a magic drug!” when it comes to treating mood disorders. Did you catch that? It’s MAGIC. I love me a scientist who isn’t afraid of a little hyperbole. Heaven knows the research world needs more fairy godmothers and small singing mammals. Heck it could probably even put the pecked-out eyes and chopped off toes to good use.
For all my nattering on of late about how exercise has made me crazy, or rather how I’ve made myself crazy with too much exercise, I sometimes forget to mention how much exercise has helped me manage my mental health issues. One of the first things I noticed about fitness – and perhaps the thing that spurred my well-documented addiction – is how much better it made me feel. About everything! I am in my absolute best mood of the day during and right after my workout. There’s almost nothing that a good hard run can’t sweat out of me. (Along with my daily dose of Gym Buddy therapy. Just don’t spring anything to deep on them while they’re spotting you on the chest press. Yes, I know this from experience.) For a girl who has suffered as long as I can remember from some permutation of depression or anxiety, this is a big deal. One might even say it’s magic.
The formula for all this feel-goodness is pretty easy to see. “Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing.” True story: it’s really hard to feel a panic attack when your heart is already pounding at 175 bpm.
Now: raise your hand if these findings were a surprise to you. I thought not. Most of us have heard by now that exercise makes us feel better. So why isn’t every crazy person jumping on the triathlon train and whipping themselves in the best mental and physical shape of their lives?
Have you ever been depressed?
Those of you who have had a bout of clinical depression know that throwing on some body conscious clothing and jumping around with a bunch of perky strangers is about as likely to happen as Joe Biden remembering that he is miked 23 hours of the day. When you are seriously depressed or crawling out of your skin with anxiety (the way I like to put it is that I feel like I was born with my skin on inside out) exercise can feel like an impossible task. So the real question isn’t how to convince people that exercise will help ameliorate the symptoms of their mood disorder but rather how to actually get the people moving.
Smits explains, “Rather than emphasize the long-term health benefits of an exercise program — which can be difficult to sustain — we urge providers to focus with their patients on the immediate benefits,” he says. “After just 25 minutes, your mood improves, you are less stressed, you have more energy — and you’ll be motivated to exercise again tomorrow. A bad mood is no longer a barrier to exercise; it is the very reason to exercise.”
While he’s a little too perky with his bumper-sticker cute conclusion, he makes a good point: mentally ill people are very bad at thinking long term. It’s hard enough dealing with our now, how are we going to find any energy to deal with the future? And yet, I can personally attest to validity of Smits’ recommendations. Exercise really will help you feel better. And almost immediately. It’s not like losing weight where you may have to exercise for quite a while – research says it takes a woman’s body about 3 weeks of consistent exercise to finally start letting go of her fat stores – you can see positive results with your mood instantaneously.
So what can you do to help yourself or a loved one overcome those initial hurdles and exercise? Telling them won’t be enough. We know.
Suggestions for Motivating a Depressed and/or Anxious Person to Exercise
1. One popular tip given in many magazine articles is the 5 minute rule. Tell yourself that if you exercise for 5 minutes and you still don’t feel like doing it, then you can quit. This method is banking on the fact that if you’ve already gotten dressed and out the door, you’re 90% of the way to a workout.
2. Go with a friend – preferably one who is not also mood disordered – who will drag you kicking and screaming if needs be.
3. Get a dog. Pets in and of themselves have been shown to help people feel more positive and calm but a dog needs to be walked daily. Sometimes if people aren’t able to do it for themselves, they can do it for a beloved pet.
4. Start small. Sure 45 minutes of interval sprints and weight circuits will blast a ton of fat, give you a great pump and allow you to listen to bad 80’s metal without feeling stupid but a nice walk in the fresh air will be just as good for your mood. Or possibly better, depending on your feelings about Guns-n-Roses.
That’s all I could come up with. Have you ever used exercise to help your mood disorder? What tips do you have to help someone struggling with depression or anxiety get into exercise? Pour some sugar on me: How do you feel about Guns-n-Roses? (Correction: Apparently Guns N’ Roses does NOT sing “Pour some sugar on me”. The commenters have informed me it is Def Leppard. It’s true: I do not know my ’80’s hair bands well enough!)
OMG this is too weird…i was doing crunches (yes, fitness training!) and thinking when i am done, i need to go to charlotte's blog. And i go to my inbox, and you had left me a comment at the EXACT same time i thought of you. I am psychic but sometimes it's truly nuts 🙂
anyway…
I love G n R, Pour some sugar on me, baby! And love the post, always good to bring attn to depression. Such a major issue that doesnt capture true attention like it should!
Hahah! Was just thinking about you too, girl! We've got some good psychic vibes going on!
Absolutely. My whole blog was born out of this experience. Overcoming the catch 22 is the hardest. I've found it to be somewhat cyclical or even a downward spiral during my worst bouts of depression. I know exercise will help but I'm too dang depressed to exercise. Then I feel worse than before b/c I can't take a simple walk so $#@! it. I eat a whole bag of Doritos before popping a Xanax and going back to bed. I agree starting small is really important. Music has also been VERY HELPFUL. I appreciate "tough love" from my husband too.
G-n-R reminds me of getting drunk in high school. Classy, right. Love the song "Civil War". Def Leppard rocks and reminds me of feeling cool sitting in the back see of the school bus in 5th grade.
Exercise is like a magic pill for everything except head lice it seems. I definitely feel better after a workout, but typically not before one. For that, I do the whole 5-minute thing. I'll try to trick myself into just going to the gym even though I know that I know that I'll never leave after just 5. Most of the time it works.
I've conducted a similar study on myself. I've found that chocolate has the same effect on neurotransmitters in the short term. Long term, though, it tends to make you more depressed when your clothes no longer fit.
while i don't have depression i totally think that exercise helps me manage stress and anxiety. i hate to think about how high my blood pressure would be without it!
One would think that being active is a normal behavior for, well, normal behavior! Think about animals in zoo cages that restrict their usual natural moving around. Not a pretty sight. We are no different.
Hee! I've conducted that excat same experiment on chocolate! Strangely I never seem to get definitive enough results as I keep feeling the need to repeat it;)
When I belonged to a gym with a sauna and jacuzzi, I would lure myself to the gym with the promise that I would let myself relax in them FIRST, as my incentive– not just afterwards, the usual post exercise reward. It worked!
How perfect is this? I -definitely- use exercise in this way. Whenever I get anxious (type A + Cambridge + general OCDness), I find a good run or swim makes me feel loads better. In fact, it's usually the only thing that does!
Thank goodness for science 😉
I can only imagine that exercise helps everything. A few years back, I had lost a bunch of weight (unintentionally) due to stress at work – I went to a doctor who prescribed anti-depressants, sleeping pills and told me to stop exercising – how quickly can you say "I found a new doctor"?
My husband has depression issues in the winter and regular workouts make HUGE difference on his stress levels and moods. He makes a great effort to workout every other day as he's noticed it.
Personally I find it helps me deal with stress…and the odd endorphin rush certainly deosn't hurt 🙂
First, (and I realize that this will betray my own lurking mental illness, but I can't help myself): Pour Some Sugar On Me is DEF LEPPARD, not Guns N' Roses! For the love of glam metal, people, pay attention!!
Ok, I feel better now.
On a related note, as a long-time anxiety sufferer and woman who is generally wound too tight, I can personally attest to how immediately and thoroughly exercise can flip my it's-all-about-to-fall-apart perspective on the universe. It does wonders for my I-think-I'm-going-to-strangle-this-man-and-put-these-children-on-Craigslist moments, too.
On final note: My brother, a fellow anxiety sufferer (gotta love heredity, folks!), once described it perfectly. He said, "You know that instant when you've dropped a glass and you think you can catch it before it shatters? I live in that moment." No wonder he started smoking pot at 15! Me, I run.
I get SAD in the winter, and I've found that the only way I can keep exercising throughout the winter and keep depression away is to never stop exercising. Maybe not so helpful.
This year I signed up for a bunch of winter races, which kept me motivated to keep training, and it was the easiest winter of my life!
When I was depressed I barely left my room. I think it was particularly difficult to motivate myself to exercise because I felt I deserved to be miserable. Knowing the positive effects of exercise made me *less* likely to do it.
These days I really notice how much more positive and calm I feel when I cycle to work, rather than taking the train. My fiance and my colleagues say they notice it too!
LOVE this idea!!
I'm mostly an anxious girl myself!
Hahah! Only you could compare us to zoo animals and make it sound good.
Science saves my life on a regular basis!
Yeeek! I hope he/she isn't in practice anymore. Or maybe they were just trying to generate MORE business for themselves?
I get the winter blues too. Exercise combined with my SAD light makes a HUGE difference.
Oh no!!! Are you serious? I should admit now that my parents never let me listen to heavy metal so my experience is limited to what I could sneak riding in other people's cars. So what does Guns n' roses sing?? Thanks for the correction! I'll fix it in the post!
Hee – I have "put these children on craigslist moments" too!!" Your poor brother!
Yay for the best winter of your life! I love that!!
Very interesting about not feeling deserving of happiness. I have a feeling that you just spoke for a lot of people right there!
Hey Charlotte,
GNR brought us such wonderfulness as "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Paradise City", and many, many other songs that I only listened to because my parents weren't paying attention. : )
Sometimes I worry that because I feel so happy when I'm exercising and so sad when I miss a few days, I'm kind of addicted. I guess it's just normal, but I still wonder where the line is drawn between a healthy amount of exercise and exercise addiction.
Ah – you know I walk that line too:)
Not surprising, but nice to have it validated scientifically. I started exercising regularly back in 2008. I did it to help manage physical health issues, but I was amazed at how it evened out my moods. I still have my moments, but amazing how even just taking a bit of a walk can help. (So much the better if one of my friends is on the other end of the cell phone. 😉
Great post! I guess I am the weird one. I use exercise as a means of escape & when I have been depressed even more so because it is the one place where I feel in control of myself & my bod. I feel good about myself when I am in the gym. It is when I step out of the gym that I have the probs… :-O
🙁 I have had anxiety, panic and depression since I was a teen (nearly 20 years – yikes!) and have found that exercise doesn't make any difference for me. My doctor told me that exercise was one of the best treatements so I tried the gym, weights, classes, stretching, home exercising, walking, riding etc but I feel sick and worse afterwards. I don't get that great, energetic feeling everyone seems to talk about. I really wish it did help me though.
Don't forget GNR's "Welcome to the Jungle", "November Rain", "Patience", "You Could be Mine", and "Knockin' on Heavens Door".
The town I grew up in didn't let go of the 80"s until 2005 😉
November Rain was GNR?!?! That sound you just heard was my whole paradigm shifting…
Nothing surprising here. I know that I get a serious high after a workout, and that is what gets me out of bed some mornings. I was about to skip out on my doubles today, but that thought brought me back. Glad I didn't. The 5 minute rule, by the way, is one I live by.
Personally, I find the 5 minute rule a bit light, I think if you are really dedicated you should push through and get things done but if it is physical pain then I guess you should quit, stretch then go again =D. However I do think exercising with a friend is a lot easier then just going alone.
HI
I think this a terrific site.
I have been jogging for many years, and l hate it.
It makes me feel tired, hungry and very cold.
But l am so scared of gaining weight. I need to read more and try and go cold turkey. I need support and heaps of evidence that l wont gain weight if l stop running. So hence why l am here.
So if anyone can help, it would be great.
Regards Sue
A lot of us here have been in your shoes. Life is too short to do exercise you hate!! Go back and read my post about how I suppressed my thyroid and GAINED weight from exercising too much. That'll make you feel better about giving up running:) Seriously tho, find something you like! Dance, kickbox, karaoke aggressively but please give up the jogging.