Depression and Exercise

I have suffered mild to moderate depression for the last 10 years, except for the past 6 months. I rarely get depressed anymore, since upping my exercise level. I’m not sure if it’s due to the number of hours I work out, or the intensity of my workouts, both of which I increased about 6 months ago.

There was a great article in the March 2006 issue of Runner’s World Magazine, entitled “The Long Road Back”, page 68. It’s about an incredible ultra marathoner named Lisa Smith-Batchen and her battle with severe depression. She used running as a way to control her depression, but at times it came back to haunt her anyway. The article was a real eye opener for me, because I feel I have beaten my depression through exercise, but now I realize that I am only keeping it at bay, I need to be aware that it can come back.

Interestingly, right before I read this article, I decided to take February as an easy “transition” month to heal some aches and pains I’ve been having. I cut my training hours in half, and am not doing any high intensity workouts. I have been a little depressed all week!

One last thought on this topic… There’s a study cited in the article about exercise and depression. A team of researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia measured anxiety levels of female runners, ages 18-20 and 35-45, before and after 33 minutes of moderate or high-intensity exercise. The women who ran at 80 percent of maximum aerobic capacity (a slightly faster pace than would allow you to carry on a conversation with your running partner) were found to have experienced the sharpest decline in anxiety. What’s more, anxiety relief continued at least 90 minutes after they stopped exercising.[/*]