Exercise for Depression

According to an article in the Harvard Mental Health Letter, exercise may be beneficial for people with severe depression. Of course exercise is helpful for everyone, no matter what the health issues, but here are some reasons exercise can be particularly helpful to depressed people:

* enhanced body image
* social support from exercise groups
* distraction from everyday worries
* heightened self-confidence from meeting a goal
* altered circulation of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphins

It’s certainly worth exploration. If people can do something relatively simple to make themselves feel a little better, maybe they won’t need as many drugs and will be able to lead more normal lives.