Exhilaration, well-being, accomplishment: these aren’t words we often associate with exercise. But if you exercise regularly, and you take the time to tune in to your emotions while you’re in motion and then when you stop, it’s likely you’ll be feeling pretty good. This is because ongoing exercise (thirty minutes or more) causes hormones (naturally occurring chemical messengers in your body) to kick in. And one of these key chemicals is endorphins. Produced in the pituitary gland, endorphins not only decrease your appetite, they also decrease depression, tension, and anxiety.
A natural high
Often described as “the body’s natural pain reliever,” endorphins hold the power to make you feel good — often to the point of elation and joy. More and more, studies are revealing that ongoing movement and motion is a drug-free strategy to defeat depression. A sampling:
• Breast cancer survivors, who did weight training twice weekly for a period of six months, were less depressed than prior to exercise.
• When adolescent females with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms jogged for 50 minutes, at mild intensity, five times per week, their depression lessened; at the same time, stress hormones, such as cortisol (which can lead to weight gain), also decreased.
• To investigate changes in depressive symptoms in individuals with high blood pressure, researchers tracked participants as they did aerobic exercise over six months. The results revealed that those with mild to moderate depressive symptoms had significantly less depression.
Minutes, movement, and mood
These studies suggest that if you make exercise a regular part of your life, after several months, you’ll experience a super-high from endorphins. And it gets better: They’ll continue to circulate in your blood for quite a while after you’ve exercised. How much is enough to reap the depression-relieving rewards? Moderate-intensity exercise, which lasts between 20 to 30 minutes, is enough to produce the greatest increase of blood endorphins. But if you exercise to the point of exhaustion, the opposite occurs: endorphin levels drop dramatically. You’ll also lose the benefits if your movement and motion is limited to short, high-intensity workouts. To reap the rewards, try a stationary bicycle, walking briskly, or dancing to your favorite music. In other words, do what you enjoy — not what you think is “right” or “best.”
Antidepressant opportunities
Endorphins hold the power to replace depression with a mild state of euphoria. This natural high is especially good news if you’re one of the many people who do not respond to antidepressant medication. Of course, if you’re presently inactive, always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. For more “natural” insights into defeating depression, read “Eat Fish, Be Happy” by EmpowHer expert and writer Deborah Kesten, MPH.
Larry Scherwitz, PhD, is a behavioral scientist who specializes in mind-body medicine and reversing heart disease and obesity through lifestyle changes — without drugs or surgery. He has conducted research on studies published in prestigious medical journals, ranging from The Journal of the American Medical Association to The Lancet; he is also co-author of The Enlightened Diet. Call him at 415.810.7874, or visit him at www.Enlightened-Diet.com to take his FREE What’s Your Eating Style? Quiz, and to learn more about his Whole Person Nutrition Program for wellness, weight loss, heart-health, coaching, and books.