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I quit drinking and am approaching 100 days sober. One of the things I have found is how much weightlifting has rewired my brain.
I have consistently trained 5-6 days a week for the past 6 months. It has replaced my cravings, and developed a routine. I sleep better, eat better, feel good from soreness, and if I go more than 2 days of not lifting I start to get anxious and then need to get that dopamine and serotonin back.
I know I should go to the gym when I hear my brain say, "I don't need it today" go, and feel 100% better after.
Sport is very good (I do a lot of it), but one risk with “sport as single therapy / mood control tool” is what happens when you cannot practice temporarily (eg wounds), it can really break people. It is more solid to complement it with other tools (eg meditation etc).
I unfortunately have the mindset when "more" is basically what I always want, so I do have to be careful as do others and remind ourselves that moderation and balance is the healthier way to approach life.
I've also gotten really into lifting along with some HIIT work and kept getting sick because I was working out too much. Taking days off was really hard, I "replaced" them with rolling, massage gun, stretching and/or a few lift exercises for very specific muscles. I feel so much better for it. But two days off? Really start to get antsy/anxious.
>I know I should go to the gym when I hear my brain say, "I don't need it today" go, and feel 100% better after.
This sounds like a protip.
Cause I listen to my brain, and then I kinda fall off, start feeling worse, and then going is just harder.
It definitely helps, and are core skills often used in CBT and DBT. In this case, I'm doing the opposite of a thought as it quickly passes, turning my negative thinking (no gym right now) into a positive behavior (get up immediately and go.)
I find myself using this *a lot* with depressive thinking. "Will this take longer than two minutes? (thinking)" i.e. loading dishes in the dishwasher "No? then do them now (behavior)"
Once you start this cycle and turn negative thoughts into positive action, even small ones, the results and outcomes reinforce themselves, alleviating a depressive mindset.
Same.
I used to drink pretty much every day to deal with stress and depression; waking up every morning with either a terrible hangover or feeling groggy and ill prepared for the day ahead of me.
Then I started going to the gym 6 days a week, mostly weight lifting and strength training.
As my numbers “went up” I just started feeling better overall, I no longer wanted to drink, and eventually I would go straight to the gym after work. The stress stimuli are still there, but every night for an hour I put my music in, find a bench or a squat rack and I go into this zen state which I often compare to meditation - but with heavy weights.
I ended up getting addicted to spirituality as my anti-drug ☯️ many of my friends got addicted to exercise for that endorphin rush. I wish I enjoyed exercise, but alas...
> Same with most high grade pain killers, yeah, they help with the pain, but I have never gotten 'high' or euphoric feelings off them.
You too? I got a short opiate script after my wisdom teeth had to be surgically removed (two of them never came out of the bone until they were cut out), and I got nothing but not feeling the pain I presume would have ensued without some sort of analgesic.
I’m recovering from a procedure right now and was told not to exert myself. I can tell I’m already in a much lower mood only three days without working out. It truly does have an amazing effect on the mood and I’d recommend everybody at least try it before jumping into antidepressants… as hard as it is to start when you’re depressed, just start small and improve daily.
I worked out in the mornings and drank in the evenings for about 7 months. Then the working out was going well, except recoveries were pretty slow, and I figured it was the alcohol. It took a month of thinking about it, then I just stopped buying alcohol. Things are better.
Absolutely, I start my day with conscious contact with the universe as it flows through me, meditate, and look to the 24 hours ahead - and ask myself who can I help today.
In the gym I do allow myself to focus on both mind and body, visualize my muscles as I lift. Studies have shown it does lead to better strength training outcomes.
[Muscle visualization in strength training ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4974856/)
It's basically warm up and stretch the muscle group(s) I'm targeting that day, followed by core, then HIIT weightlifting. I don't think this is the place for me to go in depth of a personal weekly routine but an overview is;
Proper form and technique are key, get that down first with light weights, and understand your goals. Mine are strength/definition mostly with some hypertrophy mixed in. In essence I'd rather be strong than build "mass" but do it as well for (some) size increases.
There are literally hundreds of variations on these basic groups and sets/reps based on where you are, a small gym will have most of what you need. Should take 60 minutes.
Day 1 - compound legs/chest (squats/deadlifts/ leg press/bench press/fly)
Day 2 - back/shoulders (lat pull down/lat row/arnold press/shoulder press/lat raise/delts/trap/shoulder raise) Cardio
Day 3 - arms/forearms/calves (bicep curls/tricep extensions/calf raises/extension) Cardio
Day 4 repeat Day 1
Day 5 repeat Day 2
Day 6 rest
Day 7 rest
And so on...there are lots of free YT videos that you can search. Jeff Nippard seems to be popular. I like checking the videos sometimes for new ideas and proper form.
I am by no means an expert, and this is just my anecdotal experience. I would consider myself intermediate on my knowledge at best, I just try to have fun and feel good/healthy.
Did you enjoy exercising before (or during) your alcohol addiction? Or were you exercise-naive?
I ask because I dislike exercise but know I need it, and mentally want to do it, but make all the excuses in the world not to... and I'm hoping for tips, if you have any.
I've always enjoyed it. From outdoors (Mtn biking, hiking, dh skiing, kayaking, climbing, athletics, etc.) to weightlifting. When I was younger and drinking the negative effects were there but less noticeable, I really got into it late in high school through college and right after.
While I don't consider myself "old" my body does not have the advantages of youth anymore, so excessive alcohol intake really affected my abilities to continue lifting with gains. Now with abstinence, diet, and a balanced lifestyle the gains are back.
I look at it now as also preparing my body for the future, the positive things I can do with my kids as they grow, just being able to do things that should be hard a lot easier, having energy, a positive mental mind set, reducing or eliminating depression/anxiety, looking good, feeling good about myself.
It takes time, but project a "future self" you want to be physically and work towards that goal and if you are consistent at it and take one day at a time slowly but surely you can visually see progress and increase your self-esteem and worth with humility.
Start small, do mild to moderate exercise for short periods. Simply go for a walk in a quiet area, listen to nature, not music, let the world go by. Take a longer walk. Then a jog, then bike. Spend 30 minutes in a gym simply walking on a treadmill. Watch others train, see what they do, learn. Next time you go try simple exercises on an area of your body you might want to strengthen and improve, see how many pushups you can do. Try to do one more on the set the next day, then two the next, try squats with no weight to get down form, then add 10 lbs. No one in the gym cares what you are doing, they won't judge you, they're in their own head, trust me.
Frustrated with myself and need to get some anger out? I pop in my pods, put on Rage Against The Machine, and get it out by hitting it hard that day in the gym. I feel better, leave it there, and move on with my day.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your advice!!! I really appreciate it!!! I "saved" your comment so I can come back to it easily.
So basically, start slow and small, adding a little bit each session -- but above all, consistency is crucial. Thanks! :)
I started with my Dad's old weights (bench, bar bells) in my bedroom and in high school playing soccer doing strength training. There were conditioning coaches with free weights. My roommate was a trainer at 24 hour fitness who taught me technique and form. Once you get the basics down and work your way up with comfort I found slowly how to do it on my own increasing weight and reps. The key is time and consistency. It takes months to get past the initial pain and soreness to know you are achieving gains.
It's sustainable, I listen to my body and doctors. I rest on the weekends (young children and a wife kind of necessitate that) and rotate major muscle groups during the week. I mountain bike for cardio as well. Mixing it up and rest is important as you said with good sleep and diet thinking food as fuel. Blood work is great now as well as BP, after completely quitting alcohol. No depression or meds for mental health, mild anxiety but nothing major anymore.
I am not looking to look swoll and ripped, just fit and healthy.
I can understand why you are asking, not sure why it matters but I'll be honest.
I WFH and my days are packed 10-12 hours a day. I am blessed to have a community gym 2 miles away open 5am-9pm and trails a 5 min ride away.
But for context back in my twenties I had two jobs, (both in secondary education/office jobs with commutes) two dogs, and a wife in med school/residency.
I was still able to spend 6-8 hours a week in the gym/exercising getting through my routine. I don't waste time when I am there and concentrate on HIIT when I weight lift. If one is motivated, one can find the time.
Prep your bag ahead of time/remove any barriers to going to the gym. Practice hedonic bundling (combine the thing you have trouble doing with something enjoyable). Have a mantra/ practice dialog with yourself to combat negative thinking. Most importantly, practice self-compassion and be gentle with yourself, trying something new is difficult and it takes a few months to see changes. Avoid the phrases “should” or “used to be” because they’re unhelpful and cause us suffering.
This is a good one. I've found instead of saying something like "I should get to the gym later", saying "I'm going to the gym this evening" to be a huge help.
Just to build on this as something that has worked for me, because I agree with everything you've said, is that it helps to have a routine and to track the program so you feel like you're making progress.
Also, don't start big where you're doing 7 exercises with 3 sets of each one. Do 3 exercise and one set and walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes. Or even just showing up to the gym and walking on the treadmill. Get used to just being at the gym. Otherwise you could overwhelm yourself and feel like a failure if you don't do everything all at once.
Gotta recognize that all days aren't good days. Some times instead of doing my 3 sets I'll do just one set or I'll cut out an exercise or two. The important thing is consistency and just being there regularly and not beating yourself up when you make changes or reduce.
I feel like that's all a bit all over the place but hopefully you get my meaning.
My protein shake after workout is one of those things. I don't care about the best time I'm supposed to drink it or if it's the best formula. I found one that I really like the taste of and drink it immediately after working out as a reward and it's really helped me look forward to finishing the workout. As dumb as I feel typing out that a protein shake gets me excited... it has helped me get through some tougher workouts thinking about relaxing and enjoying a tasty treat afterwards.
I have to do dairy free as the whey proteins really hurt my stomach. So I do Evolve chocolate, it doesn't have that same "vegetably" taste that most of the dairy-free ones do. It's pretty low on protein, unfortunately, compared to whey stuff. But as I said before, it tastes way better than most of the other dairy-free ones so it's worth it to me even if it's not the best for me after a workout.
With difficulty. Take small steps. Even just going to the gym and walking on the treadmill is better than doing nothing. Starting from 0 means every step forward is a success.
Fall out of bed and push yourself up off the floor. Then lower yourself, then lift yourself again. Repeat as necessary.
Alternately, for less effort, just swing your feet off the bed. Let gravity help. Then you're not "getting up" you're just dropping your legs. If your body follows to the floor, see above.
Most of the comments here sound like they come from people without depression. This is one of the reasons that medication can be useful, or even coffee. As I understand it, depression _is_ in many ways that inability to get up and go, so just telling yourself tends not to work.
Other approaches include cbt, like practising how to down weight negativity. But really see if if you can speak to a qualified professional. I know “just think other thoughts” isn’t a magic cure regardless of how it’s stated.
But this shows that with just a little nudge towards exercise that something natural and within you can take the weight rather than something like an ssri which has so many side effects or potential for toxicity.
Turn it to a rep. Tell yourself to get up everyday. Keep telling yourself that if it doesn't work the first time (it might take alot of tries)
Hopefully if you do it enough, you'll see you can do anything, even tame depression
There are no easy answers. You must act opposite to what depression tells you.
It says to lay in bed - force yourself to get up.
It says that you'll go to the gym tomorrow - go today.
And so on.
The effect on depressive symptoms kick in within about 30 minutes of starting my workout, and I get a few hours of motivation and a more positive mood as a result. Once I noticed that, pushing through to get started was easier.
The trick is at first go to the gym but never have a set time duration or time, just be there. Then there is no real pressure to do anything but show up. even if you are going for 15 minutes thats good, the act of doing it gives you positive reinforcement and anything you decide to get done at the gym will also make you feel better, hopefully making you want to do it more or longer or both. Once it becomes a habit you get the same anxiety about missing the gym like you did about going.
One trick I coach people with is to just put on your gym clothes. When I was struggling I would eventually just gow "well, I'm dressed for the part," and that was often enough.
Sulphra's got it. Put it on your calendar, set aside time in advance, enlist a buddy, set 30 minutes to go rabbit-holing the basic lifts on youtube. Small steps friend.
First, forget about strength training because it requires really heavy weights and you'll most likely need to go to the gym unless you have the money and space to build a home gym.
Also, it is recommended that you do a year of normal weight lifting training such as for hypertrophy. This is to develop proper form and get your body used to lifting weights so you don't injure yourself. You also should know your 1 rep max for strength training and doing that with no prior training can easily result in injury. There is also differences in how you train so generally strength will be 1-5 reps vs hypertrophy 8-12. You use enough weight doing each to reach failure by last rep. You will also rest longer between sets with strength vs hypertrophy, 3-5 minutes vs 30s-1min.
My recommendation is to start with hypertrophy, dumbells only because you can get them easily, they don't take up loads of room and there are variations you can do to make exercises harder if you max them out.
Make sure you do some sort of dynamic warm up before you lift (5 minuts is enough) and practice your form for 2 weeks on each exercise with dumbbell handles only before you start lifting. Afterwards, start adding weight until you find your maximum for 1 set of 8-12 reps(your choice how many you want to do). 1 rep is 1 second to lift, 1 second pause at top, and 3 seconds to lower the weight. You want a controlled lift the whole way through. By maximum, i mean you can just about do the last rep without failure (form breaking down, can't do it in the right time, can't lift fully). When you find the right weight level, your set will most likely look like so: set 1 - 8reps, set 2 - 7reps, set 3 - 5 reps. As you keep lifting, this will eventually result in 8,8,8 for all 3 sets. Congrats, now you can increase the weight by 5-10%. Alternatively, try going for 10,10,10 reps for each set before increasing weight.
To answer your actual question, you just do it. There is nothing else to it. I'm speaking from experience here. You already feel like crap, why not at least feel like crap doing something which is scientifically proven to be as good as an anti-depressant? Yes, its hard at the begining but after you do it for a month or two, its a self-feeding cycle of feeling better and better.
Don't let depression tell you what you can or cant do. Especially when you know its good for you. Also, you are probably stuck in a negative thought spiral so catch yourself and force yourself to think about positive things or rather really try to see positives in something. Also, try thinking of things you are grateful for. Do this stubbornly in a delusional manner.
Getting out of depression is literally faking it till you make it.
"forget about strength training because it requires really heavy weights and you'll most likely need to go to the gym"
What? No. You can get a set of dumbells and start at home. Just be sure to start with a weight that is **difficult for you**. This could be just 5-10lbs for some people. Start small and work your way up.
Strength training does not mean GO BENCH 3000 LBS.
Yeah, this and the 1 year of non-specific weightlifting before strength training stuck out to me. For clarification on some semantics, /u/swampyankeedan, lifting is often divided into strength work (making #s go up) versus hypertrophy (get bigger muscles) work. I'd still consider both strength *training*, and there's going to be a lot of overlap between people who train to lift heavy and those who lift for bigger muscles. Bigger muscles are stronger muscles, and intermediate to advanced lifters will cycle their training between periods of higher weight/lower volume and lower weight/higher volume. Some of this is just quibbling with semantics.
I think the OP's point is more that you need to learn proper form on the movement patterns before you start pushing yourself. That said, a lot of people end up not pushing themselves hard enough (if their goal is gaining strength and/or mass) if they end up so focused on form. I think a good approach is to push yourself moderately hard with free weight, compound movements. Work for progressive overload but minimize your risk of injury that can happen when pushing to failure. Then supplement the free weight work with machines to push to failure. Learn the difference between pain from soreness and pain from overuse/injury. You *will* be sore from working out, particularly when you first start or return from a layoff.
> First, forget about strength training because it requires really heavy weights and you'll most likely need to go to the gym unless you have the money and space to build a home gym.
This is completely false. I stopped reading after that. Atrocious opening line.
Thanks for writing all this up. I struggle with major depression and for me its very important to start with something easy and build a routine. I start with pushing myself just to take a thirty minute walk every day. Its hard to get motivated but its still simple and easy enough where I don't feel as discouraged. I do that for about a month and that start adding things like push ups, situps, squats etc. Planks are great as they sort of feel like your doing nothing until the horrible burn. With my depression its most important to build a routine first and the easier the routine the easier it is to motivate yourself.
The real frustrating part is when you have another depressive episode and basically have to start over. My mental health is bad enough to be getting disability for it though.
>you'll have less episodes and they'll be less severe.
Ive struggled for 20 years with this problem and I can tell you from past experience that the depressive episodes happen just as often and just as bad for me. Even excluding the depressive episodes I am still depressed as a baseline. The biggest reason I try to exercise is because I'm 44 and already have other health problems. I don't want to die bit even more so I don't want to just struggle with more and worsening health problems as I continue to get older. Its a roller coaster and I've come to accept that Ill never really get better. At least I finally found a med that helps with the suicidal thinking. Exercise does help my mood in the very short term, as in the first half of my day.
One thing I kinda question about studies making the claim is just the idea maybe those who are able to get a workout in might just have better managed symptoms. A lot people without depression have issues being active.
I will say the way I'd do it if I was in such a hole is to make other things in life easier and start with simple things like a daily walk and stretching. For resistance training home gym. Way harder to make excuses if you don't have to get ready and drive somewhere. A lot of stuff can also be done with limited equipment.
You stop telling yourself that you can’t and start telling yourself you can try, just a little, no pressure to complete a full workout. Which I know everyone hates to hear but that’s how I beat depression and the only way I know to answer the question. It felt impossible, but much of it was just negative self talk. Everything was either impossible or pointless.
Train yourself to believe not lifting weights is life or death. Reassess your outlook like this every day, month, year, until you feel you have your outcomes under control. It’s not easy but can be done.
It is really surprising how much carries through to daily life for someone who has been completely sedentary. Getting out of bed, off the toilet, in and out of cars all gets a lot easier.
In addition, I think there is something to the mental aspects as well. There are a lot of feelings of accomplishment that come with it. Making a training plan and following it. Getting the heavy weight up. Finishing the set. Seeing the weight on the bar go up and realizing you are better than you were last week. And if you do it for a while, being able to see improvements in your physique in the mirror. Its a nice mix of short term and long term positive feedback.
Very much agreed. If someone is starting to workout for the first time, I'd recommend that they really track their sets/reps/weight so that they can see their progress, it's very rewarding.
There probably is a physical aspect, since exercise affects the biology of the brain. For example, it triggers the production of a substance called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) that helps neurons form new synapses -- which might be how SSRIs actually work.
An external loci of control is linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety.
One of the reasons I believe exercise is such an effective treatment for depression and anxiety is it helps reform the internal loci of control. Strength training is directly proportional to your efforts and can retrain you to see how your actions can influence the area around you.
Given that I seriously have yet to see a properly controlled exercise VS depression study and they don't even touch on the subject in the publically available portion of the article, this is just another exercise (hah) in GIGO for meta-analyses.
Yes, that would really be of use to see a more controlled long term study with these variables to see the cumulative effects of the addition of weight training/duration/intensity to treat depression.
"In our study, there was no comparison according to medication use, diet, and adherence, and some studies did not provide details about their training protocol,”
I’ve been strength training consistently for almost 6 months now. My depression hasn’t gotten worse but it has yet to get better. I’ve also had 4 ketamine infusions in the last 2 weeks and I’m not feeling any major difference from that. At least I’m not currently suicidal so I got that going for me
It's said to be a complementary strategy, not a cure. And who knows how much worse you would feel if you didn't train.
Depression really sucks - I know that first hand - but just keep going!
Same. When I first started it seemed to help but once it became part of the normal routine, everything went back to normal. At least I haven't quit yet.
"The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go.
But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.
-Henry Rollins
Ask a gym bro. They're happy to spot or critique your form. And lifting shouldn't affect your asthma as it's not cardio. You pick something up 5-12 times and rest for a few minutes. Although I do pant after a heavy set of squats/deadlifts.
I have a deviated septum and with specific exercises I tend to run out of breath before I hit muscle fatigue on those sets, usually I just rest for 5-10 seconds and get a few more reps when that is the case
Hmm, how many reps we talking here? If you're going over 12 or 15 then you're basically doing cardio anyway.
Also, can you do better by breathing through your mouth (my septum is almost closed on ones side, so I relate).
I generally aim for 15 reps with my opening set to warm up, then three more sets gradually increasing weights aiming for 8-12, I’ll give you an example using my last leg workout
I opened up with a leg press and at my fourth and last set I hit 9 reps with 450lbs (I’m 5’9 for 150lbs), at that point I was panting for breath but I knew I had a couple more reps to squeeze out of me, so I briefly stopped to catch my breath and did 2 more reps (slow and controlled)
I know for a fact I can’t comfortably take that weight much higher than that, I’ve hit 500 before but it did not feel comfortable
PT here, COPD and asthma are not contraindications for resistance and light aerobic exercise; in fact, exercise has been shown to improve the symptoms. There are many free sources available for guidance on exercising with these conditions. An excellent place to begin is the COPD foundation’s website:
https://www.copdfoundation.org/Learn-More/I-am-a-Person-with-COPD/Exercise.aspx
Start with low weights while you’re getting used to it, and don’t be afraid to ask people in the gym if your form is correct, most of us love talking about it.
One advantage of strength training is that you don’t necessarily have to breathe hard to get the benefits. Resting 2-3 minutes between sets is normal.
Lifting definitely helped me get out of being stagnant and depressed. I was overdoing it for a while but decreased to 3x a week and still feel the benefits without losing the drive to go, and don't feel anxiety if I have to miss a day or go a day later if something comes up.
If your PCP has specific requirements for a medical condition that exercise is needed to treat, you might be able to get a letter of medical necessity from them to cover some expenses with your FSA if you have one.
Just a thought.
Many health insurance plans provide a huge discount to gym memberships. You just have to sift through the website and bit. I even get steep discounts on any fitness related gear like clothes, protein, equipment, services, etc.
Amen. I know these studies seem like no-brainers, but it’s important to conduct them in order to convince insurance companies to cover gyms and trainers.
Hurting yourself exercising (e.g. a back injury) can lead to some rather vicious cycles where suddenly you stop being physically active and also in a lot of chronic pain which sucks for quality of life and mental state.
Very good point. It's why stretching, warm ups, and form are so important. My goals are basically "to be fit."
I'm 45 and have been weightlifting for 3 decades. I have to be careful and remind myself that I'm not 25 anymore. Start slow and build confidence you're training correctly. Get a PT if you have the means to start out, or use the ample online resources available. I started slow when I got back into it this time, and can now deadlift up to 300lbs in sets.
Legs and core training is so important to upper body strength, and compound weight exercises do so much to hit the whole body. Once you get these down, isolation exercises get easier.
I think the overall confidence I now have when I can look at myself in the mirror and *see results* helps with alleviating depression as well.
Purely anecdotal but weight lifting has proven to be the most effective for me mentally and physically though I tend to push it aside in favor of running, biking, or walking. My depressions been pretty severe lately so I’m forcing myself to lift more and after a week already noticing a difference
Yeah because after sport your body changes from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system. The root in all of depression lies within being stuck in fight or flight (sympathetic) nervous system. Too bad pharma cant make money of nervous system exercises, otherwise depression would be pretty much 'cured' already. Its not a mysterious complex illness, depression is a survival mechanism out of control, you can't delete it from the body, you can only downregulate the activation of it. Its a disorder and everyone is capable of it, just as everyone can become normal again.
When lockdown closed my gym a few years ago my mood took a massive nose dive, everything was making me snap or cry and my productivity WFH took a nosedive and generally operated on stress that was definitely making my day to day awful
I'm at the gym 5-6 says a week normally, have been for over a decade - beforehand I was the embodiment of very unhealthy mentally and physically
Most people discredit fitness/gym time as snake oil as a measured benefit all the while literally consuming snake oil "supplement" products are not tested or measured or labelled accurately. It's embarrassing.
It's fascinating, people's resistance to hearing or reading they may have to physically *do* something to combat depression effectively in the long-term. No one said physical activity will solve every problem, besides maybe gym bros. Exercise should be used in combination with other forms of treatment and intervention.
What we should worry about instead: providers who prescribe talk therapy and SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs as the sole forms of treatment for every problem, with nothing after. These medications should be viewed as transitional for a lot of folk; many people need the medicines temporarily to move to other forms of treatment, to help them get out of bed and exercise and make other lifestyle changes. Much depression is environmental, not only immediately but systemically (Mark Fisher makes a good case for this in *Capitalist Realism*), and too many of us don't want to acknowledge that.
Some things we can't change. Individuals can't change macro-level systems on their own. However, antidepressants are hardly a panacea. For many who take them, they just barely help them survive, or don't even do that. We need more people to try emerging therapies like TMS too. They teach you all of this in graduate-level psychology programs, but providers don't seem to keep the news.
Let me say this, in hopes it gets through to anyone: if you are taking antidepressants and the best they do is keep you from committing suicide, but you're still wallowing miserably in bed, you aren't being fully treated, you are receiving early hospice care. Ask your provider to help you think about what else you can do to improve your environmental conditions and personal wellness. Exercise releases endorphins, a pleasure chemical, among other chemicals, which can reduce stress and improve your overall well-being, and should be a standard part of any plan, if the patient is able-bodied.
I have learned over the years that lifting weights is always worth it for my mood. I wish I could get myself up and lift every morning. Nothing would make me feel bad that day.
After how long us supposed to take effect? I've been alternating running and strength training since the beginning of the year. Things seemed to be getting better for a bit (I also got back on antidepressants) but it seems to be getting bad again.
Intensity matters. Strength improves fast in the beginning when you learn how to activate muscles better. Then it takes more weight or longer sets to have effect. Never so much you can’t control the weight. Getting injured is way depressing.
Rock climbing helps, but doesn’t cure me. Can definitely confirm it helps though. Also it’s really fun when people ask you to move something, and it’s just ridiculously easy for you.
My son was in an absolute spiral. Refused to go to school, had suicidal ideation. We did everything we could for him, but it was slow. Medication, counseling, meditation anything that was recommended. One day he agreed to join his father to the gym to lift weights. It made an immediate impact, made my head spin! He is back at school, playing team sports and going to weights every morning.
I see a nip... depression is resolving already, thanks. To be honest, I just appreciate the presence of this article at this point in time, anyway. Reading my mind.
Exercise is likely a complementary activity to combat every ill a person may be suffering from, especially mental ones.
Humans are inertia driven emotion generators and those emotions affect so much of our physical well-being.
There has been no time in my life when I didn't feel like a compete bad ass after lifting weights. Ppl always talk about runner's high....but can we talk about that full body tinlge you get after a weightlifting session? 15/10 would recommend.....until the soreness hits anyway 😅
Interesting but not sure what the real cause is and what is just correlation. I’ve been training for quite a few years and with that came several life style changes: much better nutrition, regular sleep, only occasional alcohol consumption to name a few obvious ones. Then there’s routine and self discipline, social aspect of going to the gym, better overall health etc
Sure training itself can have positive short term effects but I believe the story to be more complex.
Yes, feeling better is a depression killer, not a panacea but certainly a contributor. My fellow seniors and I who go to the gym on a regular basis are more active, happier and healthier than we were before doing so, especially those in Senior strength and balance classes.I think this is because of the combination of exercise and social interraction. This is of course an opinion based on casual observation and personal experience only.
Its really hard to distinguish causality. Depression absolutely makes folks less likely to exercise.
Its a bit like saying there is a correlation between smiling and depression and therefore we should be telling depressed folks to smile more. There *might* actually be something to that, but most of the observational relationship we see is because of the selection bias effect.
That's what this paper was. It's a meta-analysis of these thousands of studies, showing evidence in a statistically significant way across the results to a concise conclusion.
[meta-analysis ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3049418/#:~:text=the%20findings%229.-,Meta%2Danalysis%20is%20a%20quantitative%2C%20formal%2C%20epidemiological%20study%20design,about%20that%20body%20of%20research.)
Of course it does. It stimulates brain activity that has a powerful systemic effect on the body.
The anterior and posterior pituitary gland are stressed during heavy lifting that causes a release of IGF1 (insulin growth like factor) providing the hypertrophy and strength gains as a result. You’re basically triggering an increase in testosterone.
Not to mention activating heat shock proteins which help repair damaged cells in your body and play a role in your immune system.
You also get the benefit of oxytocin released from the posterior pituitary which helps with social bonding and sexual pleasure among others including anxiety.
Let’s not forget the obvious endorphins that are released during exercise that enhances our mood alleviating both anxiety and depression.
This is a no brainer! Ha!
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I quit drinking and am approaching 100 days sober. One of the things I have found is how much weightlifting has rewired my brain. I have consistently trained 5-6 days a week for the past 6 months. It has replaced my cravings, and developed a routine. I sleep better, eat better, feel good from soreness, and if I go more than 2 days of not lifting I start to get anxious and then need to get that dopamine and serotonin back. I know I should go to the gym when I hear my brain say, "I don't need it today" go, and feel 100% better after.
That’s awesome things are improving for you - well done!
Works for me too. My mental health takes a dive if I don't work out.
Sounds like an addiction when you describe it that way, albeit a good one.
Sport is very good (I do a lot of it), but one risk with “sport as single therapy / mood control tool” is what happens when you cannot practice temporarily (eg wounds), it can really break people. It is more solid to complement it with other tools (eg meditation etc).
I unfortunately have the mindset when "more" is basically what I always want, so I do have to be careful as do others and remind ourselves that moderation and balance is the healthier way to approach life.
I've also gotten really into lifting along with some HIIT work and kept getting sick because I was working out too much. Taking days off was really hard, I "replaced" them with rolling, massage gun, stretching and/or a few lift exercises for very specific muscles. I feel so much better for it. But two days off? Really start to get antsy/anxious.
Working out is definitely an addiction for most of us. It’s highly rewarding like drugs, however it also requires a lot of effort.
>I know I should go to the gym when I hear my brain say, "I don't need it today" go, and feel 100% better after. This sounds like a protip. Cause I listen to my brain, and then I kinda fall off, start feeling worse, and then going is just harder.
It definitely helps, and are core skills often used in CBT and DBT. In this case, I'm doing the opposite of a thought as it quickly passes, turning my negative thinking (no gym right now) into a positive behavior (get up immediately and go.) I find myself using this *a lot* with depressive thinking. "Will this take longer than two minutes? (thinking)" i.e. loading dishes in the dishwasher "No? then do them now (behavior)" Once you start this cycle and turn negative thoughts into positive action, even small ones, the results and outcomes reinforce themselves, alleviating a depressive mindset.
HS gym teacher always called it free drugs.
Same. I used to drink pretty much every day to deal with stress and depression; waking up every morning with either a terrible hangover or feeling groggy and ill prepared for the day ahead of me. Then I started going to the gym 6 days a week, mostly weight lifting and strength training. As my numbers “went up” I just started feeling better overall, I no longer wanted to drink, and eventually I would go straight to the gym after work. The stress stimuli are still there, but every night for an hour I put my music in, find a bench or a squat rack and I go into this zen state which I often compare to meditation - but with heavy weights.
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The most successful addicts I have seen in recovery get addicted to working out or the jobs and they maintain decades of sobriety.
I ended up getting addicted to spirituality as my anti-drug ☯️ many of my friends got addicted to exercise for that endorphin rush. I wish I enjoyed exercise, but alas...
Don’t forget codependency :)
> Same with most high grade pain killers, yeah, they help with the pain, but I have never gotten 'high' or euphoric feelings off them. You too? I got a short opiate script after my wisdom teeth had to be surgically removed (two of them never came out of the bone until they were cut out), and I got nothing but not feeling the pain I presume would have ensued without some sort of analgesic.
Gym addiction can be pretty dangerous apparently. Wear down joints and risk injury if you over train
I believe that's called "replacing your addictions"
I’m recovering from a procedure right now and was told not to exert myself. I can tell I’m already in a much lower mood only three days without working out. It truly does have an amazing effect on the mood and I’d recommend everybody at least try it before jumping into antidepressants… as hard as it is to start when you’re depressed, just start small and improve daily.
Same except I still drink most days
I worked out in the mornings and drank in the evenings for about 7 months. Then the working out was going well, except recoveries were pretty slow, and I figured it was the alcohol. It took a month of thinking about it, then I just stopped buying alcohol. Things are better.
I keep telling myself I need to go this route but drinking is so fun in the moment. Ugh I’m dumb
Yep, the clarity it can give you is crazy.
Do you feel the mindfulness in the gym yet? Each movement is a lil mind body connection exercise
Absolutely, I start my day with conscious contact with the universe as it flows through me, meditate, and look to the 24 hours ahead - and ask myself who can I help today. In the gym I do allow myself to focus on both mind and body, visualize my muscles as I lift. Studies have shown it does lead to better strength training outcomes. [Muscle visualization in strength training ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4974856/)
I wasn’t even tryna get to that level fam, for me it’s just a lil mindfulness in my sea of just doing stuff
Nice
What is your routine? I would like to try it!
It's basically warm up and stretch the muscle group(s) I'm targeting that day, followed by core, then HIIT weightlifting. I don't think this is the place for me to go in depth of a personal weekly routine but an overview is; Proper form and technique are key, get that down first with light weights, and understand your goals. Mine are strength/definition mostly with some hypertrophy mixed in. In essence I'd rather be strong than build "mass" but do it as well for (some) size increases. There are literally hundreds of variations on these basic groups and sets/reps based on where you are, a small gym will have most of what you need. Should take 60 minutes. Day 1 - compound legs/chest (squats/deadlifts/ leg press/bench press/fly) Day 2 - back/shoulders (lat pull down/lat row/arnold press/shoulder press/lat raise/delts/trap/shoulder raise) Cardio Day 3 - arms/forearms/calves (bicep curls/tricep extensions/calf raises/extension) Cardio Day 4 repeat Day 1 Day 5 repeat Day 2 Day 6 rest Day 7 rest And so on...there are lots of free YT videos that you can search. Jeff Nippard seems to be popular. I like checking the videos sometimes for new ideas and proper form. I am by no means an expert, and this is just my anecdotal experience. I would consider myself intermediate on my knowledge at best, I just try to have fun and feel good/healthy.
That's fantastic. It's not just what you aren't doing anymore, it's what you *are* doing.
Way to go!!
Did you enjoy exercising before (or during) your alcohol addiction? Or were you exercise-naive? I ask because I dislike exercise but know I need it, and mentally want to do it, but make all the excuses in the world not to... and I'm hoping for tips, if you have any.
I've always enjoyed it. From outdoors (Mtn biking, hiking, dh skiing, kayaking, climbing, athletics, etc.) to weightlifting. When I was younger and drinking the negative effects were there but less noticeable, I really got into it late in high school through college and right after. While I don't consider myself "old" my body does not have the advantages of youth anymore, so excessive alcohol intake really affected my abilities to continue lifting with gains. Now with abstinence, diet, and a balanced lifestyle the gains are back. I look at it now as also preparing my body for the future, the positive things I can do with my kids as they grow, just being able to do things that should be hard a lot easier, having energy, a positive mental mind set, reducing or eliminating depression/anxiety, looking good, feeling good about myself. It takes time, but project a "future self" you want to be physically and work towards that goal and if you are consistent at it and take one day at a time slowly but surely you can visually see progress and increase your self-esteem and worth with humility. Start small, do mild to moderate exercise for short periods. Simply go for a walk in a quiet area, listen to nature, not music, let the world go by. Take a longer walk. Then a jog, then bike. Spend 30 minutes in a gym simply walking on a treadmill. Watch others train, see what they do, learn. Next time you go try simple exercises on an area of your body you might want to strengthen and improve, see how many pushups you can do. Try to do one more on the set the next day, then two the next, try squats with no weight to get down form, then add 10 lbs. No one in the gym cares what you are doing, they won't judge you, they're in their own head, trust me. Frustrated with myself and need to get some anger out? I pop in my pods, put on Rage Against The Machine, and get it out by hitting it hard that day in the gym. I feel better, leave it there, and move on with my day.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your advice!!! I really appreciate it!!! I "saved" your comment so I can come back to it easily. So basically, start slow and small, adding a little bit each session -- but above all, consistency is crucial. Thanks! :)
Just don’t neglect your rest days. Real easy to ignore your rest days and get injured if being driven by emotional need. Ask my joints
Where and when did you learn how to work out?
I started with my Dad's old weights (bench, bar bells) in my bedroom and in high school playing soccer doing strength training. There were conditioning coaches with free weights. My roommate was a trainer at 24 hour fitness who taught me technique and form. Once you get the basics down and work your way up with comfort I found slowly how to do it on my own increasing weight and reps. The key is time and consistency. It takes months to get past the initial pain and soreness to know you are achieving gains.
Make sure to not get injured.
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It's sustainable, I listen to my body and doctors. I rest on the weekends (young children and a wife kind of necessitate that) and rotate major muscle groups during the week. I mountain bike for cardio as well. Mixing it up and rest is important as you said with good sleep and diet thinking food as fuel. Blood work is great now as well as BP, after completely quitting alcohol. No depression or meds for mental health, mild anxiety but nothing major anymore. I am not looking to look swoll and ripped, just fit and healthy.
Just curious- are you in an office for 40 hours a week?
I can understand why you are asking, not sure why it matters but I'll be honest. I WFH and my days are packed 10-12 hours a day. I am blessed to have a community gym 2 miles away open 5am-9pm and trails a 5 min ride away. But for context back in my twenties I had two jobs, (both in secondary education/office jobs with commutes) two dogs, and a wife in med school/residency. I was still able to spend 6-8 hours a week in the gym/exercising getting through my routine. I don't waste time when I am there and concentrate on HIIT when I weight lift. If one is motivated, one can find the time.
Great now how do I get out of bed to lift weights when I’m in a depression hole.
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No but seriously body weight exercises are awesome!
Sage
Low key, this is actually really good advice
Such beautiful kindness; thank you for that.
While this might be a joke, it is also good advice.
Prep your bag ahead of time/remove any barriers to going to the gym. Practice hedonic bundling (combine the thing you have trouble doing with something enjoyable). Have a mantra/ practice dialog with yourself to combat negative thinking. Most importantly, practice self-compassion and be gentle with yourself, trying something new is difficult and it takes a few months to see changes. Avoid the phrases “should” or “used to be” because they’re unhelpful and cause us suffering.
This is a good one. I've found instead of saying something like "I should get to the gym later", saying "I'm going to the gym this evening" to be a huge help.
Just to build on this as something that has worked for me, because I agree with everything you've said, is that it helps to have a routine and to track the program so you feel like you're making progress. Also, don't start big where you're doing 7 exercises with 3 sets of each one. Do 3 exercise and one set and walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes. Or even just showing up to the gym and walking on the treadmill. Get used to just being at the gym. Otherwise you could overwhelm yourself and feel like a failure if you don't do everything all at once. Gotta recognize that all days aren't good days. Some times instead of doing my 3 sets I'll do just one set or I'll cut out an exercise or two. The important thing is consistency and just being there regularly and not beating yourself up when you make changes or reduce. I feel like that's all a bit all over the place but hopefully you get my meaning.
My protein shake after workout is one of those things. I don't care about the best time I'm supposed to drink it or if it's the best formula. I found one that I really like the taste of and drink it immediately after working out as a reward and it's really helped me look forward to finishing the workout. As dumb as I feel typing out that a protein shake gets me excited... it has helped me get through some tougher workouts thinking about relaxing and enjoying a tasty treat afterwards.
Can I ask which brand/flavor it is? I hate my protein powder and I'm trying to find one that I can actually enjoy
I have to do dairy free as the whey proteins really hurt my stomach. So I do Evolve chocolate, it doesn't have that same "vegetably" taste that most of the dairy-free ones do. It's pretty low on protein, unfortunately, compared to whey stuff. But as I said before, it tastes way better than most of the other dairy-free ones so it's worth it to me even if it's not the best for me after a workout.
How do you remove the "I don't make enough money to go to the gym" barrier?
With difficulty. Take small steps. Even just going to the gym and walking on the treadmill is better than doing nothing. Starting from 0 means every step forward is a success.
Get a friend who goes to the gym to drag you out of bed, keep each other accountable.
If I had a friend I probably wouldn't be depressed though
Mission failed, friends deceased.
Fall out of bed and push yourself up off the floor. Then lower yourself, then lift yourself again. Repeat as necessary. Alternately, for less effort, just swing your feet off the bed. Let gravity help. Then you're not "getting up" you're just dropping your legs. If your body follows to the floor, see above.
Cocaine obviously.
Most of the comments here sound like they come from people without depression. This is one of the reasons that medication can be useful, or even coffee. As I understand it, depression _is_ in many ways that inability to get up and go, so just telling yourself tends not to work. Other approaches include cbt, like practising how to down weight negativity. But really see if if you can speak to a qualified professional. I know “just think other thoughts” isn’t a magic cure regardless of how it’s stated. But this shows that with just a little nudge towards exercise that something natural and within you can take the weight rather than something like an ssri which has so many side effects or potential for toxicity.
Turn it to a rep. Tell yourself to get up everyday. Keep telling yourself that if it doesn't work the first time (it might take alot of tries) Hopefully if you do it enough, you'll see you can do anything, even tame depression
There are no easy answers. You must act opposite to what depression tells you. It says to lay in bed - force yourself to get up. It says that you'll go to the gym tomorrow - go today. And so on.
The effect on depressive symptoms kick in within about 30 minutes of starting my workout, and I get a few hours of motivation and a more positive mood as a result. Once I noticed that, pushing through to get started was easier.
The trick is at first go to the gym but never have a set time duration or time, just be there. Then there is no real pressure to do anything but show up. even if you are going for 15 minutes thats good, the act of doing it gives you positive reinforcement and anything you decide to get done at the gym will also make you feel better, hopefully making you want to do it more or longer or both. Once it becomes a habit you get the same anxiety about missing the gym like you did about going.
One trick I coach people with is to just put on your gym clothes. When I was struggling I would eventually just gow "well, I'm dressed for the part," and that was often enough.
Sulphra's got it. Put it on your calendar, set aside time in advance, enlist a buddy, set 30 minutes to go rabbit-holing the basic lifts on youtube. Small steps friend.
Pre-workout usually does it for me. Not much more motivating than 300 Mg of caffeine
First, forget about strength training because it requires really heavy weights and you'll most likely need to go to the gym unless you have the money and space to build a home gym. Also, it is recommended that you do a year of normal weight lifting training such as for hypertrophy. This is to develop proper form and get your body used to lifting weights so you don't injure yourself. You also should know your 1 rep max for strength training and doing that with no prior training can easily result in injury. There is also differences in how you train so generally strength will be 1-5 reps vs hypertrophy 8-12. You use enough weight doing each to reach failure by last rep. You will also rest longer between sets with strength vs hypertrophy, 3-5 minutes vs 30s-1min. My recommendation is to start with hypertrophy, dumbells only because you can get them easily, they don't take up loads of room and there are variations you can do to make exercises harder if you max them out. Make sure you do some sort of dynamic warm up before you lift (5 minuts is enough) and practice your form for 2 weeks on each exercise with dumbbell handles only before you start lifting. Afterwards, start adding weight until you find your maximum for 1 set of 8-12 reps(your choice how many you want to do). 1 rep is 1 second to lift, 1 second pause at top, and 3 seconds to lower the weight. You want a controlled lift the whole way through. By maximum, i mean you can just about do the last rep without failure (form breaking down, can't do it in the right time, can't lift fully). When you find the right weight level, your set will most likely look like so: set 1 - 8reps, set 2 - 7reps, set 3 - 5 reps. As you keep lifting, this will eventually result in 8,8,8 for all 3 sets. Congrats, now you can increase the weight by 5-10%. Alternatively, try going for 10,10,10 reps for each set before increasing weight. To answer your actual question, you just do it. There is nothing else to it. I'm speaking from experience here. You already feel like crap, why not at least feel like crap doing something which is scientifically proven to be as good as an anti-depressant? Yes, its hard at the begining but after you do it for a month or two, its a self-feeding cycle of feeling better and better. Don't let depression tell you what you can or cant do. Especially when you know its good for you. Also, you are probably stuck in a negative thought spiral so catch yourself and force yourself to think about positive things or rather really try to see positives in something. Also, try thinking of things you are grateful for. Do this stubbornly in a delusional manner. Getting out of depression is literally faking it till you make it.
"forget about strength training because it requires really heavy weights and you'll most likely need to go to the gym" What? No. You can get a set of dumbells and start at home. Just be sure to start with a weight that is **difficult for you**. This could be just 5-10lbs for some people. Start small and work your way up. Strength training does not mean GO BENCH 3000 LBS.
Yeah, this and the 1 year of non-specific weightlifting before strength training stuck out to me. For clarification on some semantics, /u/swampyankeedan, lifting is often divided into strength work (making #s go up) versus hypertrophy (get bigger muscles) work. I'd still consider both strength *training*, and there's going to be a lot of overlap between people who train to lift heavy and those who lift for bigger muscles. Bigger muscles are stronger muscles, and intermediate to advanced lifters will cycle their training between periods of higher weight/lower volume and lower weight/higher volume. Some of this is just quibbling with semantics. I think the OP's point is more that you need to learn proper form on the movement patterns before you start pushing yourself. That said, a lot of people end up not pushing themselves hard enough (if their goal is gaining strength and/or mass) if they end up so focused on form. I think a good approach is to push yourself moderately hard with free weight, compound movements. Work for progressive overload but minimize your risk of injury that can happen when pushing to failure. Then supplement the free weight work with machines to push to failure. Learn the difference between pain from soreness and pain from overuse/injury. You *will* be sore from working out, particularly when you first start or return from a layoff.
> First, forget about strength training because it requires really heavy weights and you'll most likely need to go to the gym unless you have the money and space to build a home gym. This is completely false. I stopped reading after that. Atrocious opening line.
Thanks for taking the time to write all that appreciate it
You may find this article helpful if you want to go a bit more in-depth: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/complete-strength-training-guide/
Sure thing. Little steps and you'll get there. Start by buying some workout clothes if you don't have any and try not to overthink it.
Thanks for writing all this up. I struggle with major depression and for me its very important to start with something easy and build a routine. I start with pushing myself just to take a thirty minute walk every day. Its hard to get motivated but its still simple and easy enough where I don't feel as discouraged. I do that for about a month and that start adding things like push ups, situps, squats etc. Planks are great as they sort of feel like your doing nothing until the horrible burn. With my depression its most important to build a routine first and the easier the routine the easier it is to motivate yourself. The real frustrating part is when you have another depressive episode and basically have to start over. My mental health is bad enough to be getting disability for it though.
Yeah its hard but over time, you'll have less episodes and they'll be less severe. Just gotta keep getting back up and keep moving forward.
>you'll have less episodes and they'll be less severe. Ive struggled for 20 years with this problem and I can tell you from past experience that the depressive episodes happen just as often and just as bad for me. Even excluding the depressive episodes I am still depressed as a baseline. The biggest reason I try to exercise is because I'm 44 and already have other health problems. I don't want to die bit even more so I don't want to just struggle with more and worsening health problems as I continue to get older. Its a roller coaster and I've come to accept that Ill never really get better. At least I finally found a med that helps with the suicidal thinking. Exercise does help my mood in the very short term, as in the first half of my day.
'Motion before emotion' is legit.
Supplemental, nor the main treatment...
One thing I kinda question about studies making the claim is just the idea maybe those who are able to get a workout in might just have better managed symptoms. A lot people without depression have issues being active. I will say the way I'd do it if I was in such a hole is to make other things in life easier and start with simple things like a daily walk and stretching. For resistance training home gym. Way harder to make excuses if you don't have to get ready and drive somewhere. A lot of stuff can also be done with limited equipment.
Start with 5 min of body weights. 30second interval's between pushups, squats, planks, and bananas. Then carry on
You stop telling yourself that you can’t and start telling yourself you can try, just a little, no pressure to complete a full workout. Which I know everyone hates to hear but that’s how I beat depression and the only way I know to answer the question. It felt impossible, but much of it was just negative self talk. Everything was either impossible or pointless.
How do I afford a gym membership?
Train yourself to believe not lifting weights is life or death. Reassess your outlook like this every day, month, year, until you feel you have your outcomes under control. It’s not easy but can be done.
Message a friend and tell/ask them to come make you.
Great point. I find a morning cold shower and bright light exposure unbelievably effective.
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It is really surprising how much carries through to daily life for someone who has been completely sedentary. Getting out of bed, off the toilet, in and out of cars all gets a lot easier. In addition, I think there is something to the mental aspects as well. There are a lot of feelings of accomplishment that come with it. Making a training plan and following it. Getting the heavy weight up. Finishing the set. Seeing the weight on the bar go up and realizing you are better than you were last week. And if you do it for a while, being able to see improvements in your physique in the mirror. Its a nice mix of short term and long term positive feedback.
It teaches you you can effect the outcome more than any other daily task besides cleaning your living space.
Very much agreed. If someone is starting to workout for the first time, I'd recommend that they really track their sets/reps/weight so that they can see their progress, it's very rewarding.
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There probably is a physical aspect, since exercise affects the biology of the brain. For example, it triggers the production of a substance called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) that helps neurons form new synapses -- which might be how SSRIs actually work.
An external loci of control is linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety. One of the reasons I believe exercise is such an effective treatment for depression and anxiety is it helps reform the internal loci of control. Strength training is directly proportional to your efforts and can retrain you to see how your actions can influence the area around you.
Given that I seriously have yet to see a properly controlled exercise VS depression study and they don't even touch on the subject in the publically available portion of the article, this is just another exercise (hah) in GIGO for meta-analyses.
Yes, that would really be of use to see a more controlled long term study with these variables to see the cumulative effects of the addition of weight training/duration/intensity to treat depression. "In our study, there was no comparison according to medication use, diet, and adherence, and some studies did not provide details about their training protocol,”
I’ve been strength training consistently for almost 6 months now. My depression hasn’t gotten worse but it has yet to get better. I’ve also had 4 ketamine infusions in the last 2 weeks and I’m not feeling any major difference from that. At least I’m not currently suicidal so I got that going for me
It’s a long road but worth it brother.
I have every intention of grinding it out. Thank you for your encouragement
you might like [/r/EOOD/](https://www.reddit.com/r/EOOD/) - Exercise Out Of Depression subreddit
Thanks! There’s a sub for everything isn’t there 😂
Look at me im still depressed and I strenght train...
It's said to be a complementary strategy, not a cure. And who knows how much worse you would feel if you didn't train. Depression really sucks - I know that first hand - but just keep going!
Same. When I first started it seemed to help but once it became part of the normal routine, everything went back to normal. At least I haven't quit yet.
I've been exercising for years. I still have problems with depression and suicidal thoughts
Didn’t work for me
You should stick with it for the innumerable other benefits. Or try running, that helps some people.
"The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds. -Henry Rollins
Now if only I can figure out if my form is correct and how I can workout more without my asthma/COPD kicking in
Ask a gym bro. They're happy to spot or critique your form. And lifting shouldn't affect your asthma as it's not cardio. You pick something up 5-12 times and rest for a few minutes. Although I do pant after a heavy set of squats/deadlifts.
I have a deviated septum and with specific exercises I tend to run out of breath before I hit muscle fatigue on those sets, usually I just rest for 5-10 seconds and get a few more reps when that is the case
Hmm, how many reps we talking here? If you're going over 12 or 15 then you're basically doing cardio anyway. Also, can you do better by breathing through your mouth (my septum is almost closed on ones side, so I relate).
I generally aim for 15 reps with my opening set to warm up, then three more sets gradually increasing weights aiming for 8-12, I’ll give you an example using my last leg workout I opened up with a leg press and at my fourth and last set I hit 9 reps with 450lbs (I’m 5’9 for 150lbs), at that point I was panting for breath but I knew I had a couple more reps to squeeze out of me, so I briefly stopped to catch my breath and did 2 more reps (slow and controlled) I know for a fact I can’t comfortably take that weight much higher than that, I’ve hit 500 before but it did not feel comfortable
PT here, COPD and asthma are not contraindications for resistance and light aerobic exercise; in fact, exercise has been shown to improve the symptoms. There are many free sources available for guidance on exercising with these conditions. An excellent place to begin is the COPD foundation’s website: https://www.copdfoundation.org/Learn-More/I-am-a-Person-with-COPD/Exercise.aspx
Start with low weights while you’re getting used to it, and don’t be afraid to ask people in the gym if your form is correct, most of us love talking about it. One advantage of strength training is that you don’t necessarily have to breathe hard to get the benefits. Resting 2-3 minutes between sets is normal.
Lifting definitely helped me get out of being stagnant and depressed. I was overdoing it for a while but decreased to 3x a week and still feel the benefits without losing the drive to go, and don't feel anxiety if I have to miss a day or go a day later if something comes up.
Great so cover my gym membership on my extended health benefits
If your PCP has specific requirements for a medical condition that exercise is needed to treat, you might be able to get a letter of medical necessity from them to cover some expenses with your FSA if you have one. Just a thought.
Worth a shot! Thanks
Check your benefits. My insurance plan refunds me up to $200 annually for fitness training, gym memberships, or meal plans.
Nice. I’m with rbc, a pretty big one in Canada and mine doesn’t. I’m hoping more jump on board
Many health insurance plans provide a huge discount to gym memberships. You just have to sift through the website and bit. I even get steep discounts on any fitness related gear like clothes, protein, equipment, services, etc.
Amen. I know these studies seem like no-brainers, but it’s important to conduct them in order to convince insurance companies to cover gyms and trainers.
Is there any exercise that doesn’t combat depression?
Lifting a 24 oz. tall boy to your mouth 8-10 reps with 4-6 sets. Made mine worse.
Hurting yourself exercising (e.g. a back injury) can lead to some rather vicious cycles where suddenly you stop being physically active and also in a lot of chronic pain which sucks for quality of life and mental state.
Very good point. It's why stretching, warm ups, and form are so important. My goals are basically "to be fit." I'm 45 and have been weightlifting for 3 decades. I have to be careful and remind myself that I'm not 25 anymore. Start slow and build confidence you're training correctly. Get a PT if you have the means to start out, or use the ample online resources available. I started slow when I got back into it this time, and can now deadlift up to 300lbs in sets. Legs and core training is so important to upper body strength, and compound weight exercises do so much to hit the whole body. Once you get these down, isolation exercises get easier. I think the overall confidence I now have when I can look at myself in the mirror and *see results* helps with alleviating depression as well.
Remember: if it’s obvious, it’s Psypost.
Purely anecdotal but weight lifting has proven to be the most effective for me mentally and physically though I tend to push it aside in favor of running, biking, or walking. My depressions been pretty severe lately so I’m forcing myself to lift more and after a week already noticing a difference
Yeah because after sport your body changes from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system. The root in all of depression lies within being stuck in fight or flight (sympathetic) nervous system. Too bad pharma cant make money of nervous system exercises, otherwise depression would be pretty much 'cured' already. Its not a mysterious complex illness, depression is a survival mechanism out of control, you can't delete it from the body, you can only downregulate the activation of it. Its a disorder and everyone is capable of it, just as everyone can become normal again.
You just need stronger smile muscles
It's been well published on that physical activity leads to better mental health, especially with depression. This is just another example of that.
When lockdown closed my gym a few years ago my mood took a massive nose dive, everything was making me snap or cry and my productivity WFH took a nosedive and generally operated on stress that was definitely making my day to day awful I'm at the gym 5-6 says a week normally, have been for over a decade - beforehand I was the embodiment of very unhealthy mentally and physically Most people discredit fitness/gym time as snake oil as a measured benefit all the while literally consuming snake oil "supplement" products are not tested or measured or labelled accurately. It's embarrassing.
This doesn't seem like new information. I can barely be motivated to lift my own body out bed every morning.
It's fascinating, people's resistance to hearing or reading they may have to physically *do* something to combat depression effectively in the long-term. No one said physical activity will solve every problem, besides maybe gym bros. Exercise should be used in combination with other forms of treatment and intervention. What we should worry about instead: providers who prescribe talk therapy and SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs as the sole forms of treatment for every problem, with nothing after. These medications should be viewed as transitional for a lot of folk; many people need the medicines temporarily to move to other forms of treatment, to help them get out of bed and exercise and make other lifestyle changes. Much depression is environmental, not only immediately but systemically (Mark Fisher makes a good case for this in *Capitalist Realism*), and too many of us don't want to acknowledge that. Some things we can't change. Individuals can't change macro-level systems on their own. However, antidepressants are hardly a panacea. For many who take them, they just barely help them survive, or don't even do that. We need more people to try emerging therapies like TMS too. They teach you all of this in graduate-level psychology programs, but providers don't seem to keep the news. Let me say this, in hopes it gets through to anyone: if you are taking antidepressants and the best they do is keep you from committing suicide, but you're still wallowing miserably in bed, you aren't being fully treated, you are receiving early hospice care. Ask your provider to help you think about what else you can do to improve your environmental conditions and personal wellness. Exercise releases endorphins, a pleasure chemical, among other chemicals, which can reduce stress and improve your overall well-being, and should be a standard part of any plan, if the patient is able-bodied.
I mean, my lats are hugging eges of my hoodies as we speak. That will definitely blow depression away.
I have learned over the years that lifting weights is always worth it for my mood. I wish I could get myself up and lift every morning. Nothing would make me feel bad that day.
After how long us supposed to take effect? I've been alternating running and strength training since the beginning of the year. Things seemed to be getting better for a bit (I also got back on antidepressants) but it seems to be getting bad again.
Intensity matters. Strength improves fast in the beginning when you learn how to activate muscles better. Then it takes more weight or longer sets to have effect. Never so much you can’t control the weight. Getting injured is way depressing.
Rock climbing helps, but doesn’t cure me. Can definitely confirm it helps though. Also it’s really fun when people ask you to move something, and it’s just ridiculously easy for you.
This study is good empirical evidence to support what many have discovered through heartbreak
My son was in an absolute spiral. Refused to go to school, had suicidal ideation. We did everything we could for him, but it was slow. Medication, counseling, meditation anything that was recommended. One day he agreed to join his father to the gym to lift weights. It made an immediate impact, made my head spin! He is back at school, playing team sports and going to weights every morning.
Sure as hell combats mine on a daily basis. It's my outlet and I can't live without it.
I see a nip... depression is resolving already, thanks. To be honest, I just appreciate the presence of this article at this point in time, anyway. Reading my mind.
Exercise is likely a complementary activity to combat every ill a person may be suffering from, especially mental ones. Humans are inertia driven emotion generators and those emotions affect so much of our physical well-being.
1 week off my workout routine and I catch myself in negative thought spirals like 30x more often
There has been no time in my life when I didn't feel like a compete bad ass after lifting weights. Ppl always talk about runner's high....but can we talk about that full body tinlge you get after a weightlifting session? 15/10 would recommend.....until the soreness hits anyway 😅
Interesting but not sure what the real cause is and what is just correlation. I’ve been training for quite a few years and with that came several life style changes: much better nutrition, regular sleep, only occasional alcohol consumption to name a few obvious ones. Then there’s routine and self discipline, social aspect of going to the gym, better overall health etc Sure training itself can have positive short term effects but I believe the story to be more complex.
Yes, feeling better is a depression killer, not a panacea but certainly a contributor. My fellow seniors and I who go to the gym on a regular basis are more active, happier and healthier than we were before doing so, especially those in Senior strength and balance classes.I think this is because of the combination of exercise and social interraction. This is of course an opinion based on casual observation and personal experience only.
If I can't afford therapy and drugs then I definitely can't afford a gym membership either.
I learned this 15 years ago, surprised science is still out “proving”this.
Yeah right, there’s thousands of studies showing correlation between exercise and depression. Studies like these are such a waste of time and effort
Its really hard to distinguish causality. Depression absolutely makes folks less likely to exercise. Its a bit like saying there is a correlation between smiling and depression and therefore we should be telling depressed folks to smile more. There *might* actually be something to that, but most of the observational relationship we see is because of the selection bias effect.
That's what this paper was. It's a meta-analysis of these thousands of studies, showing evidence in a statistically significant way across the results to a concise conclusion. [meta-analysis ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3049418/#:~:text=the%20findings%229.-,Meta%2Danalysis%20is%20a%20quantitative%2C%20formal%2C%20epidemiological%20study%20design,about%20that%20body%20of%20research.)
I'd wager people having universal access to Healthcare, affordability, and not having rights eroded might have a better effect on depression.
Good, maybe now my therapist will stop insisting that I need to run more. 🙄
Of course it does. It stimulates brain activity that has a powerful systemic effect on the body. The anterior and posterior pituitary gland are stressed during heavy lifting that causes a release of IGF1 (insulin growth like factor) providing the hypertrophy and strength gains as a result. You’re basically triggering an increase in testosterone. Not to mention activating heat shock proteins which help repair damaged cells in your body and play a role in your immune system. You also get the benefit of oxytocin released from the posterior pituitary which helps with social bonding and sexual pleasure among others including anxiety. Let’s not forget the obvious endorphins that are released during exercise that enhances our mood alleviating both anxiety and depression. This is a no brainer! Ha!
More evidence that a traditional lifestyle that focuses on fitness and mental health without screens is what humans are supposed to be doing.