If you have been struggling with depression lately, let me assure you, you are not alone.
Many men between the ages of 17-35 experience at least one bout of extreme depression and some may experience multiple bouts of moderate depression during this time frame. And for good reason! Life is changing rapidly during this time in life and comes with many stressful situations and unknown conclusions.
Unfortunately not many men reach out to get proper help or care and end up suffering much more than they actually have to. You see, we view depression as something negative, but in reality it is a state of being that all humans encounter, usually multiple times throughout life.
What we need to do instead of pretending its not there is actually be honest with ourselves and acknowledge the fact that we don’t feel great. Once we acknowledge it, it then becomes something we can work on.
A great place to start is by finding someone you can trust, maybe a local counselor, and talking with them about your current state of mind and begin to develop a plan to get in a better place. Is seeing someone always necessary to get you feeling better? No. But it sure makes the process quicker and more efficient than navigating the dark waters of depression all alone with no foresight and no tools to work with.
The second place to start after you have reached out for professional help is with your own 2 legs. It’s time to start engaging in aerobic exercise (cardio) to help manage your depressive state of being.
Cardiovascular exercise or aerobic exercise has been shown many times to be extremely powerful at managing and even reducing bouts of depression. It has actually been shown to help with depression more than dieting or any other form of exercise.
Although other forms of exercise do help in fighting depression indirectly, such as building muscle through strength training to gain confidence and greater self worth. Aerobic exercise still remains atop the list as a fast acting potent anti-depressive therapy.
What are some of the main chemicals in the brain responsible for feeling good?
> Endorphins
> Dopamine
> Serotonin
What are some of the main chemicals released due to aerobic exercise?
> Endorphins
> Dopamine
> Serotonin
When we engage in aerobic activity we are actually producing the exact chemicals in the brain that are responsible for making us feel good! These are the exact chemicals that counteract the state of depression.
Actually most prescription antidepressants are created to manipulate these brain chemicals in some fashion, usually with the goal of trying to keep these good chemicals in the brain longer. Now if you see a professional and they advise you take a course of antidepressants that is up to you and them to decide if that is a good route to go, and it might just be.
But what you can do to get the same effect (to a certain extent) as those medications without needing a prescription, without having to wait to see if they work and are the right ones for you and without the laundry list of side effects from them… is to begin an aerobic training program as soon as possible. (it is also possible that pairing aerobic exercise with a solid medication plan can be even more potent at managing and overcoming a depressive state of being)
If you are someone who is not physically active at all then you will want to start small and build your aerobic exercise as you go along. A great place to start is 20 minutes of aerobic exercise at least 3 days per week.
Your goal should be to work up to 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. That could be broken up into any time frame that fits your schedule best but a simple rule of thumb to hit that goal is to do either 20 minutes 7 days a week or 30 minutes 5 days a week.
Again, if you are just starting out then I would shoot for 3 days per week, 20 minutes each day and then build off of that routine! A great schedule would be Monday / Wednesday / Friday.
What counts as aerobic exercise?
- Walking
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Jogging / running
- Elliptical or step trainer
- Rowing
Any of the above activities are fantastic forms of aerobic exercise and can be done on different days of the week if you like to keep things interesting. I suggest picking 1-2 of the above and finding which one you enjoy most. Once you have found which one you enjoy most then that should be the one you create a habit with.
When engaging in aerobic exercise you should be breathing heavier than when you are walking from the car into a grocery store, but not so heavy that you feel like you are going to collapse. You should be going at a pace that you can sustain for 20 plus minutes. My rule of thumb for doing cardio is that if we were having a conversation, there should be moments when I have to start talking so I can catch my breath.
If I can talk with no restrictions at all then I am not getting the most out of the aerobic exercises. This will look different for everyone. Some people can run fairly fast and hold a conversation, while others will struggle talking at all just trying to keep up a brisk walking pace. It does not matter where your aerobic fitness level is right now, just start from where you are and you will get better and slowly progress over time.
How to progress aerobic exercise:
You can keep progressing your cardiovascular health by either increases the intensity of the exercise (like running or cycling faster), increasing the duration of the exercise, meaning going for longer times, or changing the environment (like walking on a route with more hills).
Is it completely necessary to progress your cardiovascular exercise? Actually, not really. But some of us do better when we have goals to hit and enjoy the challenge overtime. But in reality, a 30 minute brisk walk will always be a 30 minute brisk walk and you will still get many of the benefits for as long as you continue to do it.
I personally believe we can do both forms of cardio simultaneously. You can continue your normal brisk walk or cycle 3 days out of the week and change up your route or increase your intensity another 2 days out of the week.
Not every session has to be a giant progression. You can also break it up into months, say for instance you took 3 months to just enjoy your brisk walks and then the next 3 months you tried walking faster or walking with more hills, and then continued this pattern for a year.
There are endless ways to keep progressing your aerobic fitness and I suggest when you are just starting out to not even think about it and just make it a habit to get some form of aerobic exercise in for 20 minutes 3 days throughout the week.
Can other forms of exercise be just as effective?
Absolutely. Although most of the evidence shows that aerobic exercise is king when it comes to anti-depressive qualities, other forms of exercise have also shown to increase someones resilience to depression.
Weight training is the next best anti-depressive form of exercise behind aerobics. And when paired together in a routine the anti-depressive qualities are even more prominent.
Weight training may not induce the same levels of serotonin, dopamine & endorphins in one bout compared to aerobics, but the other benefits that come with weight training may increase these levels in the brain overtime.
A few benefits of weight training that may improve depressive symptoms is the fact that you will become physically stronger and build a better looking body. Being strong and looking good physically increases confidence and motivation in people in extraordinary ways.
It is almost as if when a person engages in weight lifting and sees the changes in how their body looks and feels they begin to act as a new person and they indeed are a new person. This newfound confidence and motivation begins to change the neural structures and thought patterns shooting across the brain and aid in building resilience to depressive states of being.
Pair feeling stronger & looking better because of lifting weights with a dose of antidepressant neurotransmitters from your daily aerobic exercise and you are well on your way to overcoming depression and becoming more resilient to depression in the future.
You can take control of your life, and in this case it all starts with taking control of your own 2 legs. Get out there and get walking!
-Coach Sam
P.S: If you would like help with your physical, mental & socioeconomic health… Then click the link below to schedule a strategy call with one of our coaches to see how we can help you today.
CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE YOUR FREE STRATEGY CALL NOW
Click here to meet our coaches
Depressed? Aerobic Exercise.
Depressed? Aerobic Exercise.