Ok. So, I ripped off Finding Nemo. But, Dory had it right.

If you have been reading my blog, you will know that I have written on the very questionable evidence that anti-depressants work.  The anti-depressants that are sold today increase the amount of serotonin that flows through your brain.  However, they do it in a way that changes the way your brain works. And, in the long run, have a very good chance of doing some serious damage.  For more information on this read Anatomy of an Epidemic. There is a much better way to get your daily dose of serotonin. Just keep spinning.

Well, there are many ways to get your dose of serotonin than spinning (A.K.A. riding a bike).  However, you should do something to get sweaty.  There is ever growing  research that shows that exercise is a good, or better, than drugs at keeping depression at bay.

My recovery, was in no small way, the result of getting on my bike and riding.

According to the book Beyond Prozac by Michael J. Norden dozens of studies have shown that regular exercise will beat back both depression and anxiety, which for some go hand in hand.  And, for those of you who are like me whose depression is often stress induced, exercise will increase tolerance to stress.  Exercise works for stress by increasing serotonin output (that thing that all of those fancy drugs are supposed to do). There is also an added benefit that the effects of the increased serotonin lasts for weeks after exercise has ceased.  For any of you that exercise on a regular basis you will know what I mean when I say that an extended period without  exercising on a regular basis often makes me feel edgy and depressed.

In a comparison for exercise to anti-depressants researchers found that exercise is the clear winner.  In the initial sixteen week study, the drugs got out of the starting blocks quicker. But, by the end of the sixteen week study those that exercised were doing as well as those on the drugs.  However, (this is the part that is really important) in a ten month follow up those that exercised were doing 30% better than those on the drugs.  Exersice kicks the butt of drugs.

Another advantage to exercising is that those that do exert some energy are less likely to relapse than those that take drugs.  This is in line with the finding of Anatomy of an Epidemic which found that the longer an individual is on an anti-depressant the greater the chance of a relapse.

So, what do the studies mean when they say exercise.  For the most part, studies have shown that aerobic exercise is best.  Therefore, a forty minute swim is going to be better than an hour grunting in the weight room.  I used to do a lot of weight lifting in my late teens and early twenties and there is more sitting around and waiting than there is actual exercise.   You also have to exercise more than a couple of times a week.  The minimum should be a Public Health Dose (what the experts say you should get everyday). Obviously, you should not go out and kill yourself.  This is especially true if you have not exercised in a long time.  The goal should be about five times a week.

There is also a lot of added benefits to exercising besides increased serotonin.  Before I really started to cycle a lot, I thought that I was in pretty good shape, and got very offended when doctors told me that I was overweight.  I am now in the best shape of my life.  I lost about 45lbs, and my heart rate is under 60bpm.  During the cycling season--when it is warm--I can eat just about anything that I want and often loose weight.  This is good because I have an affinity for ice cream, and I love beer.

Enjoy Life,

Peter

Sources:

Babyak, Michael, Ph.D. et. al. "Exercise Treatment for Major Depression: Maintenance of Therapeutic Benefit at 10 Months." Psychosomatic Medicine Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine (vol. 62. no. 6, Sept., 1, 2000), pp. 633-638.

Dunn, Andrea L. PhD, et. al. "Exercise Treatment and Dose Response." American Journal of Preventive Medicine (vol. 28, no.1. Jan., 2005), pp. 1-8.

Norden, Michael J., M.D. Beyond Prozac: Brain-Toxic Lifestyles, Natural Antidotes & New Generation Antidepressants. New York: Regan Books, 1995.