Depression is a serious sometimes debilitating mental illness. It can affect anyone of any age or gender. Researchers believe that one cause of depression is hereditary. If a family member has depression, the odds of you getting depression increase. But there are other causes of depression also. They may be stress, health problems, traumatic life events or the aging process. Most of the time there is no single cause of depression, but rather a combination of factors that bring on depression. So does the lack of exercise cause depression? Maybe not directly, but the lack of exercise can cause other problems in your body that can produce depression.
Your body needs exercise to function at optimum levels. Unfortunately, in this age of computers and satellite television our lives have become more sedentary. Most people do not get the recommended amount of exercise and our bodies will suffer because of it. Obesity is a major problem, which in turn can cause diabetes, heart disease and other numerous health problems. Think of it like this, if you have a car that has set for many months without being started, do you think that if one day you decide that you want to drive it that it is going to start right away and be ready to go? Probably not. The battery may be dead, the brakes may be rusted, or the gasoline may be full of sediment. Your body is the same way. If you set around for months and months without getting any exercise, there is no way you are going to be able to just get up one day and run a marathon. Heck, you probably won't even be able to run around the block.
The lack of exercise can cause you to become obese and unhealthy. When you are unhealthy, your stress levels increase as you deal with changing body images and physical problems. The chemical makeup of your body change because fat metabolizes chemicals and hormones a lot different than muscles. These things combined with other risk factors can cause depression.
Researchers believe that regular exercise can increase the release of certain neurotransmitters in your brain. These neurotransmitters directly affect your moods. Exercise also releases hormones known as endorphins. These hormones are known as the feel good hormones. They can reduce pain, increase mood and help alleviate stress. Regular exercise will also ease tense muscles and help you to sleep better, which in turn can help reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
The recommended amount of exercise is 30 minutes a day, three to five days a week. If this is not attainable for you, try starting out small with just 10-15 minutes of exercise each day. This is about taking baby steps to build your confidence and activity level. The more that you exercise, the longer your sessions will become. As your body begins to get back into shape and you start feeling better you may notice that you will feel less depressed. You may even start looking forward to your exercise time. But before you start any exercise program, see your doctor and get his recommendations on a safe
exercise routine
exercise routine for you.
