Exercise and depression..

There is plenty of available research regarding the effects of exercise on depression and anxiety, but what good is that until you actually try it? It's much like shopping for  car online and then taking a test drive. Lots of pictures and words simply don't have the same effect as climbing in and hitting the gas. After 15 days of exercising at least one hour, I can say, that at least for me, it works. I feel better now than I did while taking medication. And the physical benefits are, I suppose, obvious. It can be difficult to find the motivation some days. As with everything, my depression can utterly annihilate my ambition. But I already know that if I get in there and sweat for a while I'll feel better. So I do, and I do.

It can, at times, be very difficult to keep going. It's been many years since I've been "active" and my body reminds me of that every day. There are moments when I look around the gym and see other people doing things I simply can't yet and it makes the "just say fuck it" part of me pop up. So I pick up something heavy and smash it. And I keep going. Because I know that if I do I'll feel better, and feeling better makes all the sweat and the self consciousness and the joint pain worthwhile.

You don't need to join a gym to get enough exercise to feel better. From the studies I've read it seems that 30 to 60 minutes of "strenuous" exercise has shown benefits. By "strenuous" they mean you sweat, a lot. Hard breathing, sweaty, get off your ass and move exercise. A fast walk, a bike ride, a swim. Anything that gets you up and moving will do it. I chose the gym because it gets me out of the house and they have child care. It works for me. After only two weeks I can feel a substantial difference. I have more energy, I sleep better, my appetite has improved (as in I eat less) and I actually feel like doing things. Essentially I feel much like I did when I first started taking Wellbutrin and Lexapro. While those medications eventually stopped working, exercise won't. Or it shouldn't, in theory.

One of the things that I have difficulty with is remembering that I'm a "beginner" again. It's been 20 some years since I spent any time in a gym. And much has changed. The equipment, the attitudes, the facilities. It's a whole new world. As a "beginner" it can be a little daunting. Especially as a guy. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of magazines, books and websites dedicated to weight lifting, bodybuilding, men's health and exercise. None of them are geared toward beginners. And the ads, my god, the ads. Buy this drink, drink that formula, take this pill and you'll be a stud in days. If you only purchase this special pair of shoes.... Shud up! Right now I'm simply focusing on moving every day, working my muscles, sweating and feeling better. The rest will come with time.

Another point worth making is, listen to your body. The exercise is meant to make you feel better, not put you in traction, hurt you so bad you don't ever go back or piss you off to the point of frustration and quitting. The idea is to alleviate the depression and anxiety, not add to it. There is a difference between good pain and bad pain. The "good" is your muscles working. The bad is your body being injured. If something hurts, stop doing it. If something really really hurts, see a doctor. Form is very important. It is better to do an exercise right a few times than wrong several. Right builds muscle, wrong builds doctor bills.

I'm beginning to formulate some semblance of a routine, as far as working muscles and cardio goes. There are, again, a plethora of prewritten options available, assuming you can do all of the various lifts in these options. I can't yet. To that end, I've found an interesting website called WorkoutLabs that offers some free and many not for free "visual PDF workouts" showing step by step routines. There are also some apps that do the same thing, but most of them cost money or simply have so many bugs in them they're more of a hassle than they're worth.

Here is a sample description from WorkoutLabs:


Machine Seated Shoulder Press
Primary muscle group: Shoulders

Secondary: Biceps, Forearms, Triceps
Equipment: Full gym

• Keep a tight core and flat back as you remain seated in the shoulder press machine.
• Look straight ahead as you hold on to the handles.
• Slowly, press the handles up above your head.
• Do not lock out your elbow.
• Slowly, bring the handles back down but do not let the weight stack touch.
• Repeat the movement.

Muscle & Fitness takes this a bit further by providing some handy videos with their workouts. One important thing to remember is that all of these websites and magazines are trying to sell you shit you don't need. Take the good information and ignore the bad. 

If you're new to the gym, or going back after years away, something like this can be very helpful. It's a little daunting to stand before a pile of iron and pulleys while wondering exactly how you're supposed to sit on it and what that lever does. Or looking at a row of dumbbells and trying to figure out what to do with them. Sure, we lift them, but how? And the how is the most important bit of all. Lifting heavy weight wrong with do much less than lifting lighter weight right. And it will keep you out of traction.






If you want to read through some of the links below, I highly recommend installing Adblock Plus in your browser. It makes for a much cleaner, less annoying web viewing experience.

FitnessRx for Men: A great deal of information on various lifting techniques and a plethora of useless, sexist information. Categories on their webpage include Training, Nutrition, Supplements, Health and a few more.

WorkoutLabs:  Free visual PDF workouts, custom workout builder, Exercise & Yoga Cards and more simple tools for you to exercise with confidence.

Muscle & Fitness: A bit of everything. They have all kinds of different workout routines, complete with instructional videos, nutrition information (for what it's worth) and some interesting articles on the sport of bodybuilding.