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Re: exercise and depression » asoiferman

Posted by Cybele on June 8, 2004, at 13:03:34

In reply to exercise and depression, posted by asoiferman on June 7, 2004, at 15:09:26

> i've heard that exercise can help to lift depression. anyone know how much exercise they're talking about? also, i was working out 5 or 6 days a week for a few months, then went on vacation for a few days and didn't work out. i also went off my meds around the same time. now i'm depressed and have started my meds again. could the lack of exercise for those few days been a cause of the depression returning? i don't WANT to go to the gym, let alone get out of bed in the morning, but what should i be doing at the gym when i go? anything particular?

I know this topic well.

Regular aerobic exercise (70-80% of max. heart rate for 40-60 minutes 4-7 times a week) is the only antidepressant that I can state unequivocally has helped me. Wellbutrin might have helped a little, until it started screwing up my sleep (was getting lots of sleep but very little deep sleep). SSRIs make me feel much worse. I can't touch them.

Taking leisurely walks or swimming comfortable laps doesn't work; you need to sweat. (Swimming easy laps is a form of meditation, which is a benefit, but it usually doesn't get your heart rate up to 70% for a sustained 30 minutes.) I usually do the Elliptical trainer for 50 minutes (burning 13 calories per minute; resistance level 6; a cross-training profile) or I might run/walk 3 miles. Do use the heart rate monitor on gym machines or buy one.

In lieu of keeping a 70%+ sustained heart rate for 40+ minutes I find that it also works fine a couple days a week to do interval training: get your heartrate up to 90% of max. (get doctor's permission before starting exercise routine) and then back down to 60%, then back up to 90%, and so forth, for 45-50 minutes. This is what I do when I walk/run/walk/run on the treadmill or take a spinning class. I love spinning.

You will find that on days off you might 'crash', so 6-7 days a week is optimal, at first. I can usually get 4 days in and when I feel low on teh days off I just remind myself that I get to exercise and feel better tomorrow.

Feel free to add some weights before your cardio workout. Leg press and bench press always get my heart pumping, and that's a good thing. But you cannot rely on them for AD effect.

Once you have been feeling good for a month or two you can cut back on time or times per week a little. I went for years on a 'maintenance' level of 2-3 spinning classes a week plus 1 weekend hike a month.

Here's a good article on a possible physiological explanation:
http://www.reactivereports.com/21/21_1.html

Anyway, I am very depressed right now as my husband was laid off in February. He got a job 1500 miles away starting early April and I put the house on the market while taking care of our 2 small kids here in Texas. Seven weeks into his new job he was let go because he wasn't a perfect match for what they needed. So here I sit with no income, a depressed husband half-heartedly looking for a job, and a 6-year old home for the summer. We decided to pay the big bucks and keep our 4-year in fulltime daycare for this month and next just so my husband can have enough peace and quiet to look for a job from his computer and so that I do not have what used to be called "a nervous breakdown."The child care money and my $40/month gym membership are non-negotiables.

I need to go back to working out every day.

p.s. If anyone knows of an AD that is not a SSRI and not Wellbutrin and that doesn't cause weight gain I am all ears.


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