Workouts and depression

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  • lemmie177
    lemmie177 Posts: 479 Member
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    gothchiq wrote: »
    I have major depression. For exercise to lift my mood, it has to be outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air. Indoor workouts don't seem to have the same effect. Hula hooping on my deck is good for helping with this.

    I agree with this. Nothing made me feel as great as running in a nature reserve. Even road running doesn't cut it quite as well. Unfortunately, running doesn't agree with me, so I try to walk in the nearby parks, but its not as good. Indoors, its only very high intensity exercise that seems to affect mood. Moderate weightlifting/cardio doesn't do much for me.
  • Tweaking_Time
    Tweaking_Time Posts: 733 Member
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    ForecasterJason wrote: »
    Like a few others have mentioned, I find for me that the mood enhancing effects of exercise are greater when I exercise outdoors. I think it's related to the serotonin boost from sunlight, as the effect is much greater on sunny days vs overcast skies.

    ^^^THIS^^^ is why I hate working out in a gym in the warm weather months.
  • amanda000002014
    amanda000002014 Posts: 73 Member
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    I have depression. The meds were making me gain weight. I started walking just recently; for about for weeks now maybe more. I have noticed a change in my mood. I do get a bout of it before I start my period, but other then that I have felt so much better since I started to walk and kicked the suger addiction.
  • NadiaMayl
    NadiaMayl Posts: 495 Member
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    Too many variables and too many different organisms to ask if it works or not. Depression may be treated with a variety of approaches exercise has been shown to improve many things, endorphins, dopamines, it helps regulate biological cycles like sleep, etc... But I also think it has to be something you like and feel enjoyment out of it. Otherwise,,it's a chore and it can be counterproductive.
    To me, it helps. But my depression is not severe. I feel good when I achieve a new goal (feeling stronger at spinning, lifting heavier barbels)! It also makes me feel invigorated. When I go through a few weeks of not working out, I feel sluggish and moody.
  • SLLeask
    SLLeask Posts: 489 Member
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    For me personally, exercising does help my mood. I have suffered from several bouts of depression in the past, once I started exercising on a regular basis it did help my overall mood and now I now if I'm heading down the black hole again it's probably because I've slacked off.

    First thing though, I assume you have spoken to a doctor, you may need some anti-depressants?

    Something to try though - If you've moved from a sunny climate to a duller one, or spend a lot of time indoors, you may be suffering from vitamin D deficiency, seems it's actually really common. I found that once I'd been taking a vitamin D supplement consistently for a month or so, my overall mood was noticeably better. Also on the plus side, my nails were much stronger too! :D For the price they costs, it's certainly worth giving it a go.

    All the best, depression is awful.
  • paradi3s
    paradi3s Posts: 343 Member
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    I suffer from depression, and for me, it really helps! I'm more energized and peppy. Maybe it's the type of exercise you do?
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I wonder if the people who feel better/less depressed with exercise have a differently diagnosed depression. I have clinical depression. Exercise doesn't do anything for making me feel better.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
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    I am one who DOES get a boost from exercise, but only if I wear headphones with very loud music with a tempo that pushes me to match it. Also, there was a really tough year for me where I was not exercising... I finally started seeing a trainer and explained it to him. He said to look at the gym as the highlight of my day - something to look forward to, "me" time, getting stronger (turns out I love weight lifting), clearing my head etc. And it worked - I was exercising in the evenings then, and when my day was going from bad to worse I would just think about the gym that night and the music and the atmosphere and tell myself all I had to do was get there . It gave me something to look forward to when there was not a whole lot else.

    I will say that if I allow myself to "think" while exercising - ie.. rehashing my day or what I am worried about etc, it does NOT work for me. The whole "lift" i get from exercising is because it takes me out of my day to day ugliness and I just exist . I turn the music up super loud in my headphones, and I sing along so I cant think. That really helps me.

    Good luck - it may not be the solution for you, but sometimes you find solutions in odd places - so keep looking.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    i suppose it's like medication.
    it works for some people and doesn't work for others. sometimes it does for me and other times not so much.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    xmichaelyx wrote: »
    It's not about working out once and no longer being depressed; it's about being consistent with my workouts, and over time the depression comes less and less often.

    Me too. Cardio more than resistance for this.
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
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    I live in BC, which has similar weather to Oregon. I second the above about supplementing with Vit D3. I imagine you are getting quite a bit less naturally than when you lived in California. It's cheap and worth a try.

    I find exercise helps a lot; most importantly in keeping my sleep more consistent. Exercising gives me energy in the day to get other things done and helps make me tired in the evening so I have less time to ruminate before bed. And I get to eat way more carbs than I could otherwise, which adds to my happiness.

    Hope this passes soon!
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    I think to judge if it works for you personally (as all mental illnesses and their effects are so individual) you'd need to know what it's like when you don't exercise regularly. It sounds like you've always been pretty active, or at least have been for some time, so it can be harder to be objective about its effects. And then of course there's the possibility it does diddly squat.

    I have found the routine and the exercise itself has improved the management of my mental health massively. For lots of reasons direct and indirect (feeling of accomplishment, reducing the severity of my bipolar moods up and down most of the time, distraction).

    But it is so personal and managing any health conditions is really a lifelong learning process.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    zyxst wrote: »
    I wonder if the people who feel better/less depressed with exercise have a differently diagnosed depression. I have clinical depression. Exercise doesn't do anything for making me feel better.

    Does clinical depression = Severe depression? Exercise is more effective for Mild and Moderate depression, but can help for Severe as well. Gimme those endorphins!

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-and-depression-report-excerpt
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    jenniferandreas693 wrote: »
    So I've read a lot about how exercise is supposed to help people feel less depressed and increase moods... It hasn't worked for me though and sometimes I even feel a bit moodier after working out.. I don't know why, any tips on what could maybe help!?

    All forms of exercise lift my mood. Some give me an endorphin rush or whatever. This is easier to achieve with some forms of exercise than others. Seems like it's easier with the steady state cardio outdoor activities like hiking or swimming. I love to garden, and this is hard work, but I don't seem to get high from it. I have to lift fairly heavy (for me) for a while to get a buzz from weight lifting.

    An hour or so of yoga indoors makes me glow too.

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