Exercise (NOW!)

We've all heard it before...if you're feeling down go exercise!  You'll feel better!  I don't know about you but I have exercised when depressed and anxious and come to feel, well, more depressed and anxious!  So what gives??  Well for myself, I would exercise once.  Then when I didn't feel better decide that exercise was not helpful after all.

Fast forward several years (17 to be exact) of experience and I've learned a thing or two.  Exercise is imperative in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders.  Let me say that again, in bold this time GO EXERCISE NOW.  The long term studies that have been done show that exercise can be just as effective as sertraline (Zoloft) in treating depression and anxiety.  

Alright, so how much and how often??

Science is hot on the trail of figuring that out.  As of right now it looks like 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week can significantly reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders.  Any exercise counts, but the best results seem to occur when your heart rate is elevated to 50-80% of your target heart rate.  The following table is from the American Heart Association website at American Heart Association Website

Age	Target HR Zone 50-85%	Average Maximum Heart Rate, 100%
20 years	100-170 beats per minute	200 beats per minute
30 years	95-162 beats per minute	190 beats per minute
35 years	93-157 beats per minute	185 beats per minute
40 years	90-153 beats per minute	180 beats per minute
45 years	88-149 beats per minute	175 beats per minute
50 years	85-145 beats per minute	170 beats per minute
55 years	83-140 beats per minute	165 beats per minute
60 years	80-136 beats per minute	160 beats per minute
65 years	78-132 beats per minute	155 beats per minute
70 years	75-128 beats per minute	150 beats per minute

Most importantly:  If you exercise and feel worse, or do not feel any improvement, don't give up!  Consistently exercising can be a very effective tool in managing mood.

For More Information on the link between brain chemistry, mood, and exercise check out the book  Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman