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Activity + Poor Food Choices = Non Healthy Lifestyle
One of the biggest misconceptions people have today is what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. Just because you exercise does not mean you are healthy. I hear much too often, oh, I can eat this because then I will work 30 or 40 minutes on the...

How to Lose Weight Safely and Quickly
Losing weight requires major lifestyle changes, including diet and nutrition, exercise, and behavior modification. Once you have made up your mind to lose weight, you should make that commitment and go into it with a positive attitude. We all know...

Natural Weight Loss: Lose Weight the Fun Way! Learn More
Real success comes from enjoying what you do. That will make you stick around enough to see the results. Same happens with weight loss. Many people end up being unsuccessful in their quest to lose weight just because they are force to do things...

Rapid Attack Your Fat
Summer is about to be in full swing, and it's that time when everyone wants to look impressive in their "lack" of clothing. While I can't promise you that you'll achieve a fitness model body, I can at least give you some simple but important tips...

Reaching Nirvana With Winsor Pilates Workout
Have you ever seen Winsor Pilates workout on television or heard it from the other medium of communication? If not yet, here are some facts about Winsor Pilates workout. As a Body-Sculpting System Winsor Pilates workout became popular for...

 
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The Ultimate Drug for Treating Depression

More and more researchers and physicians are coming to the conclusion that exercise can be as effective as antidepressants in reducing the symptoms of major depression.

Group or Solitary Both Work

Many studies have shown that exercise in a group setting is highly effective, and new research is beginning to suggest that solitary exercise, such as workouts at the gym or a daily jog, can be equally helpful.

Better Than Zoloft

Research on the subject has demonstrated that:
  • 10 months of regular, moderate exercise outperformed a leading antidepressant (Zoloft) in easing symptoms in young adults
  • 30-minute aerobic workouts done three to five times a week cut depressive symptoms by 50 percent in young adults


Boosts Energy

One probable cause is that exercise affects key brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, but physical activity may also trigger positive changes in other areas, such as by boosting energy. A more intense exercise regimen may be the most effective for that purpose.

As depressed individuals may have trouble breaking into an exercise routine, however, starting on a small scale and building up may be the key to success.

Yahoo News November 6, 2005

Dr. Mercola's Comment:Over 20 million Americans suffer from depression. The World Health Organization identified major depression as the fourth leading cause of disease worldwide, causing more disability than heart attacks or strokes.

If you start to feel depressed, especially with the decreasing sunlight of winter in the northern hemisphere or the coming holidays, I would encourage you to review my signs and symptoms of depression page to help you understand if you suffer from this disease.

Fortunately, there has been an increasing acceptance in conventional medicine that there are better, safer and healthier alternatives to treating depression than prescribing an antidepressant.

More and more evidence is accumulating that for most people exercise is more powerful than drugs in treating




depression.For exercise, though, it needs to be used like a drug and must be prescribed very carefully. Going out for a simple walk after dinner will not likely provide as much benefit as a comprehensive exercise strategy.

It has been my experience that most Americans have a serious exercise debt. I've found patients need to move toward 90 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day during the treatment phase to repay this exercise debt. Of course when you are feeling depressed the last thing you want to do is exercise intensely for 90 minutes, so you need to move gradually and as fast as your body will allow you to progress.

The key, as thearticle states,is to get started in some way, no matter how small. Fortunately, I have plenty of free tools to help you get started, including a comprehensive exercise guide and an exercise table you can use to monitor your progress.

It is also important to make sure you have a regular supply of either fish or cod liver oil, as the animal-based omega-3 fats of DHA and EPA are probably the single most important nutrient to battling depression. Avoiding sugar and grains will help normalize insulin and leptin levels, which is also another powerful tool in addressing depression.

Bright light exposure is crucial to prevent SAD (seasonal affective disorder), and the use of full-spectrum lights in the winter is a vital tool in helping solve the depression mystery. We will be offering some of the best and least expensive full-spectrum bulbs in the next few weeks for this purpose.

I also encourage you to review the strategies Paul Chek and Dr. Ben Lerner share with readers every week in my 'eHealthy News You Can Use' newsletter.



About the author:

This article is reprinted from Mercola.com, the world's #1 most visited and trusted natural/alternative health website. For a limited time only, you can take the FREE "Metabolic Type Test" to help you learn the right foods for your particular body type so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just go to http://www.mercola.com/forms/mt_test.htm right now to take this quick test!