Index: 22/8/14 1 Natural Happiness: The Truth About Exercise and Depression

INDEX
1 Natural Happiness: The Truth About

Exercise and Depression
22/8/14
1 Natural Happiness: The
Truth About Exercise and
Depression
We all want to be happy.
But is there anything you can actually do to

feel happier more often? Or at the very
least can you limit the likelihood that
youll feel sad and depressed?
There isnt a single perfect answer, of

course, but research is starting to reveal
the incredible connection between our
physical actions and our mental health. In
fact, its very possible that what you do can
have a significant impact on how you feel.
As an example, lets take a look at the link

between exercise and depression.
Dealing With Depression: Exercise vs.

Medication
James Blumenthal is a neuroscientist at

Duke University who specializes in
depression. In one of his most famous
experiements, published in the Journal of
Biobehavioral Medicine, Blumenthal
gathered 156 adults who had mild or
moderate cases of depression.
The patients were split into three groups.
Group 1 was treated with sertraline, an

antidepressant drug. You probably know
sertraline by its trade names Zoloft and
Lustral. In 2011, over 37 million sertraline
prescriptions were written to treat a wide
range of issues, including major depressive
disorder, obsessivecompulsive disorder,
panic and social anxiety.
Group 2 used a combination of exercise and

medication. They were prescribed the same
dosage of sertraline as Group 1.
Additionally, Group 2 exercised three times
each week for 45 minutes. They followed
the same exercise program that is
described for Group 3 below.
Group 3 used an exercise only treatment.

Three times per week, they performed 45
minutes of exercise. This included 10
minutes of warm up, 30 minutes of walking
or jogging at a pace that would maintain a
heart rate that was 80% to 90% of their
maximum, and then 5 minutes of cool
down.
Heres what happened
Each patient received treatment for 16

weeks (4 months) under the supervision of
the researchers and professional staff. At
the end of the treatment period, the
researchers were surprised to find that all
three treatments delivered essentially
equal results.
Treating depression with exercise was just

as effective as medication, and vice versa.
Furthermore, combining the two treatments
yielded the same success rate as doing
either one individually.
But then the researchers decided to track

the longterm progress of each patient and
this is where the study gets really
interesting
Exercise and Depression: The LongTerm

Impact
After 16 weeks of treatment, there were 83

patients (spread evenly across all three
groups) that were declared in remission
and free from depression.
The researchers decided to let these

patients spend the next six months without
receiving any treatment from professionals.
The patients were welcome to continue
their treatment on their own or to try
something new entirely.
When the researchers followed up with the

patients six months later, heres what they
found
In the medication only group, 38% of

patients relapsed into depression.
In the exercise and medication group, 31%
of patients relapsed into depression.
In the exercise only group, only 8% of
patients relapsed into depression.
You can see the results of the study in the
graph below. Notice that over 85% of
patients in the exercise only group
remained depression free after 6 months on

their own.
exercise and depression
What made the difference?
Why Exercise Outperformed Medication
Dr. Blumenthal and his colleagues described

the differences between exercise and
medication like this
One of the positive psychological benefits

of systematic exercise is the development
of a sense of personal mastery and positive
selfregard, which we believe is likely to
play some role in the depressionreducing
effects of exercise.
In other words, exercise confirms your new

identity to yourself. It changes the type of
person that you believe that you are and
proves that you can become better. (Ive
previously said that the selfconfidence

that comes with exercise is one of the
biggest benefits of weight training.)
This philosophy directly aligns with our

communitys focus on identity-based
habits. It doesnt matter if youre battling
depression, working to lose weight, or
trying to create work that matters. Your
identity the type of person that you
believe that you are is what dictates how
far youll go in any endeavor.
When it comes to beating depression over

the longterm, this is what makes exercise
more powerful than medication. Its not
that medication doesnt work it does. But
exercise does something that medication
doesnt. It proves a new identity to
yourself. Each time you finish a workout,
you reap the benefits of an increased sense
of selfconfidence. The cumulative impact
of these small wins is enormous.
In the words of the researchers, patients

who only used medication had the following
internal thoughts
Instead of incorporating the belief I was

dedicated and worked hard with the
exercise program; it wasnt easy, but I beat
this depression, patients might
incorporate the belief that I took an
antidepressant and got better.
It seems small, but this subtle shift in

empowerment and selfconfidence is huge.
Its your identity that carries you to
success.
If you believe that youre the type of

person who doesnt miss workouts, then
youre going to get in great shape.
person who overcomes uncertainty, then
youll succeed when you face a challenge.
person who puts others first, then youll
live a life of service.
But no matter what, its your identity that

carries you to longterm success. And this
is where medication falls short. It treats
your symptoms, but doesnt rebuild your
identity.
Cut Your Risk of Depression by Half
As the researchers sorted through the data,

they discovered that for every 50 minutes
of exercise added each week, the rate of
depression fell by half. In other words, if
youre not exercising right now, then
adding just 1hour of walking per week will
cut your risk of depression by 50%.
The same holds true if youre already an

exerciser. Lets say that right now you
exercise for 5 hours each week. Bumping it
up to 6 hours will cut your personal risk of
depression by half.
Im sure there is an upper limit to this at

some point, but the evidence is clear:
exercise often and its more likely that

youll enjoy the rest of your life.
How You Can Apply This To Your Life
If youre struggling with depression, then

the application of this article should be
obvious. (And if you know someone battling
with depression, then please share this
research with them. It might help them turn
the corner.)
But even if you consider yourself to be a

happy person, the principle of proving your
identity to yourself can apply to virtually
any goal you want to achieve.
Pick a daily habit that will strengthen your

sense of selfworth and solidify your
identity. For example, you could try
meditation, exercise, writing, or creating
art.
Whatever you choose, pick it now, start

small, and begin proving to yourself that
you can become the type of person you
want to become. Tiny habits, when
repeated consistently, can be the difference
success or failure, confidence or doubt, and
even happiness or depression.

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INDEX

1 Natural Happiness: The Truth About

But is there anything you can actually do to

There isnt a single perfect answer, of

As an example, lets take a look at the link

Dealing With Depression: Exercise vs.

James Blumenthal is a neuroscientist at

The patients were split into three groups.

Group 1 was treated with sertraline, an

Group 2 used a combination of exercise and

Group 3 used an exercise only treatment.

Heres what happened

Each patient received treatment for 16

Treating depression with exercise was just

But then the researchers decided to track

Exercise and Depression: The LongTerm

After 16 weeks of treatment, there were 83

The researchers decided to let these

When the researchers followed up with the

In the medication only group, 38% of

remained depression free after 6 months on

exercise and depression

What made the difference?

Why Exercise Outperformed Medication

Dr. Blumenthal and his colleagues described

One of the positive psychological benefits

In other words, exercise confirms your new

previously said that the selfconfidence

This philosophy directly aligns with our

When it comes to beating depression over

In the words of the researchers, patients

Instead of incorporating the belief I was

It seems small, but this subtle shift in

If you believe that youre the type of

But no matter what, its your identity that

Cut Your Risk of Depression by Half

As the researchers sorted through the data,

The same holds true if youre already an

Im sure there is an upper limit to this at

exercise often and its more likely that

How You Can Apply This To Your Life

If youre struggling with depression, then

But even if you consider yourself to be a

Pick a daily habit that will strengthen your

Whatever you choose, pick it now, start

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