Exercise and depression

Exercise has more benefits than just weight loss. Depression is a a mysterious disease that is very hard to research, but exercise has been shown to help with this debilitating disease. I have had problems with anxiety attacks and depression for years, and have found that the only thing that helps is living a healthy lifestyle. In order for me to feel normal (not good) on a regular basis I have to do these things:

1. Eat healthy.
2. Exercise at least 5 times a week (this is for me everyone will differ).
3. No drugs or alcohol.
   
4. No tobacco.
5. Help others.
   
6. Don't isolate myself ( I tend to want to be away from people the worse I get).
7. Stay on top of my responsibilities.
8. Have goals.
9. Keep myself busy ( even if it I take on too much, it is better than not enough).
10. Have good sleeping habits.

Of course, I never accomplish all these things and you probably wont either. Here is a list of reasons exercise helps with depression, they are from MSN Health & Fitness website.

The benefits of exercise for depression and anxiety

Exercise has numerous psychological and emotional benefits when you have depression or anxiety. These include:

• Confidence. Engaging in physical activity offers a sense of accomplishment. Meeting goals or challenges, no matter how small, can boost self-confidence at times when you need it most. Exercise also can make you feel better about your appearance and your self-worth.
• Distraction. When you have depression or anxiety, it's easy to dwell on how badly you feel. But dwelling interferes with your ability to problem solve and cope in a healthy way. Dwelling also can make depression more severe and longer lasting. Exercise can provide a good distraction. It shifts the focus away from unpleasant thoughts to something more pleasant, such as your surroundings or the music you enjoy listening to while you exercise.
• Interactions. Depression and anxiety can lead to isolation. That, in turn, can worsen your condition. Exercising can create opportunities to interact with others, even if it's just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood.
• Healthy coping. Doing something beneficial to manage depression or anxiety is a positive coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol excessively, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping depression and anxiety will go away on their own aren't helpful coping strategies.