This is the first of 4 articles on exercise, to be posted over the coming 4 weeks

About 5 years ago, during a long spell of health, I rode my bike everyday for up to two or three hours. My swan song was riding about 90 miles in a day, from one city to the next. I felt good, I looked healthy and my depression was under control.

Is there a link between exercise and mental health?

We all know that exercise benefits us physically, but there is also solid evidence that it benefits the mind. It is an effective treatment for depression. Most research is focused on the benefits for people who have mild or moderate depression, however there is also strong evidence that it is a very effective way to head-off a relapse of severe depression. A recent survey by the Black Dog Institute found that patients considered exercise to be the most helpful non-medical treatment option (see the previous post on “What Works for Depression“).

An inactive lifestyle increases the risk of depression, and depression increases the likelihood of an inactive life. The problem is getting up and going when you’re depressed. I know how hard it is. I’ve hardly touched my bike in 5 years!

So what are the specific benefits of exercise?

Exercise increases the serotonin levels in the brain, releases endorphins (”feel good” hormones), improves cardiovascular fitness, reduces cholesterol, reduces blood pressure, helps maintain a healthy weight and improves muscle tone.

Some other good reasons to exercise are:

• it gives you more of a sense of owning your own treatment
• it gets you out and about and meeting people e.g. walking with friends or playing a team sport
• it uses up adrenalin which reduces your stress levels
• it provides distraction from the negatives in your life and unhelpful patterns of thinking
• it tends to be less expensive than most other treatments
• there are no side-effects, except perhaps injury, compared with the many that can be experienced with medication.

There really is no excuse to not exercise. The trick is…how to start? Stay tuned!