Lexington, KY - Watching the news these days sure can be depressing. With all that gloom and doom out there, it can be easy to slip into a depressed state; maybe not all the way into clinical depression, but down in the dumps, nonetheless.
If you find yourself feeling a little "blue" these days, anxious and overly worried about the future of, well, everything, be careful - these feelings can lead you down the wrong path.
Often when you are feeling blue, you also feel tired, even exhausted. This tired feeling combined with feelings of sadness can lead you to become much more sedentary and even eat more. The truth is, during these times of sadness and exhaustion, the best thing you can possible do is move more.
Don't believe me? Go to the web and search "depression and exercise." There are several legitimate scientific studies that show the positive effect of exercise on your mood and its ability to alleviate depression and feelings of sadness. Of course, besides the psychological benefits that exercise can bring, it also brings physical benefits. These two things combined, the physical and psychological benefits, are the key components to your quality of life (QOL).
Science tells us that depression can negatively affect our physical health as well as our psychological health, leading to a lower QOL. Sure, feeling blue is a drag, for you and for those around you, but it is the decrease in your overall quality of life that is the real tragedy. No one should go through life with a lower quality of life than they need. All of our lives will have some sadness and most of our lives will have a little tragedy, but overall, our lives should be filled with joy and happiness. Exercise is a key component to achieving this balance.
Now, for even better news: achieving this increased QOL does not require a lot of exercise, just consistent exercise. In a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Feb 9, 2009), several hundred previously sedentary, overweight or obese postmenopausal women were studied to determine the effects of exercise and QOL. This study was specifically geared to figure out how much exercise was needed to show statistically significant improvements in both mental and physical aspects of QOL. The women were divided into three exercising groups and one non-exercising (or control) group. Each exercising group worked out three or four times per week for six months. The amount of exercise performed in each workout was different for each group: one group only did 50 percent of the recommended amount, another 100 percent, and the final group did 150 percent of the current public health physical recommendations. The results of the study showed improved mental and physical aspects of QOL for all exercising groups. While the improvements were greater in the groups that exercised more, the study clearly shows that improvements were made even in the group that exercised the least; which was only 74 minutes a week (that's a little over 10 minutes a day). A note: this study also was controlled for weight change, which did not lessen the effect of the exercise-QOL association.
This is good news for all of us. You don't have to do a lot to see results. Why not take a step (no pun intended) toward a higher QOL, especially during these difficult and stressful times. Only 10 minutes a day of walking can make a difference. It seems to me that the upside of feeling better mentally and being healthier physically is worth the minimal effort. I hope you take this news and use it to improve your quality of life.