Exercise should be a “core treatment” for people with depression, academics have said, after a new study suggested that some forms of exercise were just as good as therapy and even better than anti-depressants.
Walking, jogging, yoga and strength training appeared to be more effective than other types of exercises, according to a major new analysis.
And the more vigorous the exercise, the better, according to a research team led by academics in Australia.
But even low intensity exercises such as walking and yoga had meaningful benefit.
The effect of exercise appeared superior to antidepressants, according to the study which has been published in The BMJ.
But when exercise was combined with antidepressants, this improved the effect of the drugs.
Depression is a spectrum. When I was suffering I was still able to go to work and school, I was just in a sort of behavioral rut where that’s all I did. Every experience I had felt like eating unseasoned food. There was no joy to it, it was just “if I don’t do this I’ll die and I guess I don’t want that…”. I tried Effexor and not only did it not help, it destabilized me pretty badly. Getting into the habit of exercising first thing in the morning every day has really turned that around.