Health - Resources and discussion for everything health-related

After a couple of decades of people telling me exercise would help, I finally decided to try it last year. For 6 months, I did at least some form of exercise at least every other day which, coming from years of being completely sedentary, was quite a change. And at the end of all of that...nothing. I was in better shape of course, but I didn't feel any better, didn't have any more energy, and wasn't any less depressed. That's just one anecdote of course, but my point is that it really sucks seeing studies continually say exercise is the best thing we've got because if that's true then I am well and truly screwed lol

That's lovely but as the article tucks away at the end pretty unrealistic.

When people experience more severe forms of depression simply offering exercise may not be completely helpful, for example, when someone is struggling to get out of bed let alone get to the gym.

Since the study wasn’t actually linked (as far as I can tell on mobile), here’s a link to it.

https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-075847

From the conclusion: “Depression imposes a considerable global burden. Many exercise modalities appear to be effective treatments, particularly walking or jogging, strength training, and yoga, but confidence in many of the findings was low”

I always worry about studies like this because it always seems to me like it might be difficult to determine if exercise is the catalyst to better mental health or if someone’s bettering mental health through any number of other kinds of treatments or even changes in a persons social life was the catalyst for exercising more. When I’m feeling particularly depressed, I absolutely don’t feel like exercising, and when I start to feel hopeful for the future, I find myself wanting to exercise more. Same with “just go outside and walk through the woods”. I only feel like doing that on days my depression isn’t particularly bad.

In my years of depression, I was also in peak fitness. Like, hours of cardio a day level of fitness. Maybe it helped (I sure couldn't tell, but I would probably have been worse without it), and I imagine it helps a lot of people. But a lot of these reductive headlines are going to encourage the "just go outside or something" crowd to be even more dismissive of people with depression. Or people will see "core treatment" and think "instant cure treatment".

how about just like

MAKE THE WORLD LESS DEPRESSING

maybe that might help

I hate when people tell depressed people to "just go work out." When I was struggling with depression, I could hardly get out of bed and put on a fresh change of clothes, and somehow, they thought that I'm going to go outside and go for a walk! They really need to start with something more realistic like telling them to finally go and brush their teeth, because that is a lot more doable for them, and that still feels good too.

I do recognize that exercise does help. I'm in a lot better place now and I exercise daily, but if you're asking a depressed person to do that, you might as well be talking to a rock. Also sometimes people are just really depressed, and even if they do exercise, it hardly helps, since exercise probably isn't fixing the root issue.

Jokes on them! I can't get myself to exercise because I am depressed.

With anti depressants to help keep it under control, adding exercise has helped me for sure. Ymmv of course.

This has been known for quite sometime, it’s amazing to me that it’s not one of the first recommendations for treatment

Cosigning this, getting into the habit of working out every day has changed everything about my life for the better. I'm happier, more productive at work, more present for my friends and family at home and, counterintuitively, have a lot more energy with which to attack the day.