Strategies for exercising when feeling depressed?

Make it not negotiable. Schedule it into your day and don't deviate. Its the only way I get it done sometimes!

Do you skip work when you're feeling depressed? I'm assuming no. Why is that? Because you make it a priority, realizing that it is not an option to skip. Put that much importance in your workouts as your job and it suddenly becomes a lot easier.

My daughter has struggled with clinical depression this past year. Exercise, especially outdoors, has done more for her depression IMO than the medicine she's on. Her mood is so much better when she has regular exercise and she says she feels better when she does it. She's still in school so school sports are what works really well for her to stick to it. It's harder for her to do exercise on her own without a lot of prodding. Finding ways to exercise with others may be a good commitment device. I run with a Fleet Feet running group (there are all kinds of pace groups) and that always makes it much less likely I will skip a workout. And I always feel really good after I workout even if I didn't feel like going before. Good luck. It's worth it.

No strategy. I made it a habit. It doesn't matter how I feel I do it anyway.I get home from work and I am tired. My arthritis is flaring up because the weather is changing and my joints are killing me. There is some show on TV I wanted to see. It doesn't matter. At a certain time on certain days I get dressed and go to the dojo and train for 2 hours. No excuses no negotiation. I have never had one day that I have gone to the dojo when I really didn't feel like it, that I was not very glad that I made the effort once I got there and got going. No matter how I feel before I go I always feel at least a little better afterward.

I don't have to talk myself into getting out of bed, eating or sleeping, cleaning house(okay well maybe sometimes cleaning house) or going to work.

And if you are at the point that you are having trouble doing everyday things like eating sleeping and going to work and getting out of bed please seek medical help for your depression.

lapierrecyclist wrote: »

Hi, I'm looking for suggestions on how to get regular exercise outdoors when I'm feeling depressed.

I don't know how to answer the question, but I'd like to say that being outdoors outdoors and exercising are the two best things you could possibly do for depression.

When I was younger, I took pills for depression, and other pills for anxiety. Now I get regular exercise and it controls my depression much better than the meds ever did.

Every time I exercise I feel better. Sometimes it's the endorphine release, sometimes it's that I'm proud of myself, sometimes it's that I worked hard enough to distract myself and make my worries seem less significant. But it always works.

I'm finding that my exercise (hiking) is the only thing I want to do when I'm depressed, which I've been battling all winter after being pretty good for several years. I always feel better afterwards, for awhile anyway.

Just before the holidays my bro died suddenly, 42, heart attack. I was put in charge of the estate. All during this time holding down the fort at home as my hub cares for his 90 yr old dad (STILL on going ). Depression and stress is just part of the grind and I turned down a script for Xanax, because I workout. I tell you this from experience, exercise, even just a long walk does WONDERS..How do I do it daily (breaks far and few between )? I don't try to fit it all in at once, most days I get 90 minutes in total but in 2 to 3 segments. Secondly, I think, "do I HAVE TO workout?" hmmm, do I HAVE to brush my teeth? do I have to bathe? Do I have to feed the kids do the laundry etc. .yes, I have to because what's the alternative if I don't. GOOD LUCK! !!:)

regular self care. and routine.

Exercise is the best natural anti depressant

As others have said, you just have to make it a non-negotiable part of your day. You can't rely on motivation to lose weight, most of your progress will come from the days where you're bored or hate it but do it anyway.

One of the things that helped me significantly when I was struggling with depression was to write down how I felt after I would successfully work out (especially on days I didn't want to). It was rarely more than a few words so it only took a few seconds. But those words (my words) served as a huge motivation to me when I needed them on the especially depressed days.

Hope that helps! Hang in there!
- Sarah
All+SUM LIFE

I am bipolar and when I am depressed it is crippling. It's easy to say "just do it" or "be committed." It's not that easy. But after years of struggle, I've learned a very important thing and it's making such a difference with dealing with my depression. Even though I cannot (always) control my brain, I can control my reaction to how I feel. I have choices and options. It is very hard to see this when you're drowning, so I hope that you are getting counseling if your depression has been going on more than a month. I am also medicated. Period. But if you are not clinically depressed, then all of the suggestions above may help you. Music, music could be key.