That’s the conclusion of a major study of more than 14,000 people which has found some types of exercise can be better than anti-depressants alone. A summary, posted on the ABC News website, stated that “it doesn’t matter how many times a week you exercise, but the more vigorous the better.”
As a result, GPs are being encouraged to refer more patients to exercise physiologists. Two local EP based clinics we especially love are Longevity PT and LiveWell Fitness.
Some conclusions from the summary include:
Walking or jogging, yoga and strength training are about as effective as cognitive behavioural therapy and more effective than anti-depressant medication alone.
The review found yoga and qigong (a Chinese system of physical exercises and breathing control) are likely to be more effective for men, and strength training is best for women.
Yoga is somewhat more effective for older adults and strength training can lead to greater improvements among younger patients.
Dance is also great at lowering depressive symptoms.
The intensity of the activity does matter; so the more vigorous, the better.
The benefits are also greater if you participate in exercise with other people as opposed to going at it alone.
Those experiencing depression might meet the criteria for a chronic disease management (CDM) plan, which could get them up to five subsidised sessions under Medicare with an exercise physiologist.
Accredited exercise physiologists often design programs for people with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
