Good little article i found about exercise and how it can help anxiety and depression.
So there you have it folks, GET EXERCISING!Want to learn more about exercise and depression? Many studies indicate that people who exercise regularly benefit with a positive boost in mood and lower rates of depression.
What Are the Psychological Benefits of Exercise With Depression?
Improved self-esteem is a key psychological benefit of regular physical activity. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain.
Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric." That feeling, known as a "runner's high," can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life.
Endorphins act as analgesics, which means they diminish the perception of pain. They also act as sedatives. They are manufactured in your brain, spinal cord, and many other parts of your body and are released in response to brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neuron receptors endorphins bind to are the same ones that bind some pain medicines. However, unlike with morphine, the activation of these receptors by the body's endorphins does not lead to addiction or dependence.
Regular exercise has been proven to help:
Reduce stress
Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
Boost self-esteem
Improve sleep
Exercise also has these added health benefits:
It strengthens your heart.
It increases energy levels.
It lowers blood pressure.
It improves muscle tone and strength.
It strengthens and builds bones.
It helps reduce body fat.
It makes you look fit and healthy.
Is Exercise a Treatment for Clinical Depression?
Research has shown that exercise is an effective but often underused treatment for mild to moderate depression.
Are Particular Types of Exercise That Are Better for Depression?
It appears that any form of exercise can help depression. Some examples of moderate exercise include:
Biking
Dancing
Gardening
Golf (walking instead of using the cart)
Housework, especially sweeping, mopping, or vacuuming
Jogging at a moderate pace
Low-impact aerobics
Playing tennis
Swimming
Walking
Yard work, especially mowing or raking
Yoga
Because strong social support is important for those with depression, joining a group exercise class may be beneficial. Or you can exercise with a close friend or your partner. In doing so, you will benefit from the physical activity and emotional comfort, knowing that others are supportive of you.
Should I Talk to my Doctor Before Exercising?
For most people, it is OK to start an exercise program without checking with a health care provider. However, if you have not exercised in a while, are over age 50, or have a medical condition such as diabetes or heart disease, contact your health care provider before starting an exercise program.
---------- Post added at 19:00 ---------- Previous post was at 17:12 ----------
Thought i would leave this here instead of making another thread....
I think i should start with nutrition and how it is we gain weight. Basically we obtain energy from food. There are 3 main nutrients we get from food that supply us with energy - fats, carbohydrates and proteins. It's the same as driving a car, you drive it, it needs refueling, same applies to your body.
Now imagine you stop driving your car and keep filling it up with petrol, what will happen? It will eventually overflow, but with your body it doesn't overflow, your body doesn't know what to do with this extra fuel, so your body stores it for another time. That in a nutshell is how we gain weight.
How do you stop this process? Well there are 2 ways, you can either lower the 'fuel' you're consuming (lower calorie intake), and/or you can drive the 'car' more (become more active).
I know when you're anxious, depressed and low on self esteem, the last thing you want to do is walk into a gym, i have been there myself. But believe me, once you're in there it does you the World of good, and after a bit of exercise you will feel a lot better. Walking through the door is the hardest part, losing weight is the easy bit.
I cannot stress how effective exercise is for people suffering from anxiety and depression. Exercise releases 'happy' chemicals in your brain that can make you feel good and put you in a better mood. Not to mention the good feeling you get when you step on the scales and see you have lost several pounds.
Most people think you have to go to the gym to get in shape, which is simply not true. You can do a good workout in the comfort of your own home, using things around the house. I will show you some things to do so you can do this.
The best workout you can do in your home is what's called 'Circuit Training'.
The benefits of circuit training are...
. An effective means of improving strength endurance (or muscular endurance).
. Can be easily structured to provide a whole body workout.
. Does not require expensive gym equipment.
. Can be adapted for any size workout area.
. Can be customized for specificity; easy to adapt.
. Has the potential to burn more calories than conventional aerobic exercise or strength training, both during and post-workout (increase in post workout metabolism), thus beneficial for those attempting to lose body fat.
What i'm going to show you is a little circuit i like to do at home. It takes no longer than 20 minutes to do, and will have you feel knackered.
This will consist of 7 different exercises that you do for 45-60 seconds before moving straight onto the next exercise (taking a 30 seconds rest inbetween).
*Push ups.
Do this for 45-60 seconds non stop, ladies can kneel down and use their knees for this to make it easier... like so....
take 30 seconds rest, and then....
* Chair squats
This is pretty simple, just keep your feet flat, facing forward and touch your bum on the chair like you would sitting down before returning to the original position. Do this for 45-60 seconds.
take 30 seconds rest...
*Burpees
Here is a video, that best explains how to do this. It's basically a mix of the above 2 exercises. Do this for 45-60 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1yWBNgRHrc
take a 30 second rest...
*Ab crunches
Do this for 45-60 seconds
take 30 seconds rest...
*Bicep curls
You can use tins of baked bean tins as weight resistance. Do this for 45-60 seconds.
Take 30 seconds rest....
*Shadow boxing.
Just punch the air, it's that simple, do this for 45-60 seconds.
Take 30 seconds rest...
*Steps
Just step up and down on the steps as fast as you can. You can use stairs for this. Do this for 45-60 seconds.
By now you should be feeling very sweaty and tired. Now your body needs fuel to recover. You have a 30 minute window to refuel and get the full benefits of the workout you just did. Low fat chocolate milk and a banana is the perfect post workout snack. Gives your body all the fat, protein and carbs it needs.
I'm going to write up some good healthy things to eat for losing weight in my next post.
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