YOUR FITNESS COACH
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&
Strength Training: The Best Path to
Improved Mental Health
By Willie B. Ray, Personal Trainer,
Art of Strength Kettle Bell Gym
1301 Winchester Road #129
Lexington, KY 40505
With more
than 17 million people in
the United States currently on Prozac, depression is the leading mental disorder in the
Western world. It is growing in all age groups
and is projected to increase at a rate to be the
second most disabling condition in the world
by 2020. There are numerous well-known benefits to exercising routinely, such as improving
cardiovascular (heart/lung) health, lowering
blood pressure, strengthening bones, improving muscle tone and strength, increasing energy
levels and reducing excess body fat. But recent
research provides evidence for the importance
of physical activity for mental health with inactive or sedentary people, who have twice the
risk of becoming depressed.
Several hundred studies have investigated
the effect of exercise on depression and found
exercise can increase self-esteem, improve
mood, reduce anxiety levels, increase the ability to handle stress and improve sleep patterns.
One study at Harvard found that 10 weeks of
strength training reduced clinical depression
symptoms more successfully than standard
counseling did. Several studies found strength
training provides similar improvements in
depression as antidepressant medications.
An Australian study found high-intensity
strength training with elderly people resulted
in 50 percent to 70 percent improvements
in depression, which is equivalent to a good
antidepressant drug effect. The study recorded
three-quarters of the elderly had no diagnosis
of clinical depression at the end of the study
and no injuries as a result of a well-designed
strength-training program. Currently, it is not
known if this benefit to strength training is
because people feel better when they are stronger or if strength training produces a helpful
biochemical change in the brain. Regardless,
strength training has been proven as an effective method in battling depression. Simply stated, when people participate in strength-training
programs, their self-confidence and self-esteem
improve, which strongly impacts their overall
quality of life and ability to combat depression.
A proper exercise program that includes
strength training provides similar improvements in depression as antidepressant medications but without negative side effects. Many
people stop taking antidepressant medication
because of the side effects. One in particular
is the increased risk of falling for older people.
However, strength training has the opposite
effect; it actually reduces your risk of falling
and injuries, among other important health
benefits. Recent studies show that after
a strength-training session, endorphin levels
But regardless of
(feel-good hormones) are increased by more
whether you are battling depression,
than 60 percent, leaving you feeling rejuvenated start your regular strength training exercise
and keeping your mind trouble free. When
program today. As you get more energy exerpeople suffering from depression strength train
cising, you will get happier, have a better outon a regular basis, their self-confidence and
look on life and enjoy life more. This will give
self-esteem improve, which strongly impacts
you an effective weapon to fight any blues. If I
their overall quality of life. If you have never
can be of any assistance to you, please feel free
exercised, learning an exercise program can be
to contact me at [email protected] or
considered a new skill and mastering a new
(859) 221-4479.
skill may boost your mood and provide a sense
of accomplishment and achievement, which
Yours in Health,
also counters the effect of depression.
Willie B. Ray
Even a modest exercise program of 30
minutes a day three days a week is an effective
weapon for combating depression, and the
benefits of such a
program are likely
to be permanent
for individuals who
adopt exercise as
a regular, ongoing
life activity. But
researchers suggest
if you’re going to
strength train to battle depression, you
have to work to constantly increase your
goals. Working at a
good intensity and
progression toward
www.artofstrengthlexington.com
goals are keys to
Win a WEEK of
1301 Winchester Road Suite 129 | Lexington, KY 40505
winning the battle
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against depression.
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