Vigorous Exercise is Mental Therapy

Thanks, Market Watch, for this great reminder about endorphins and the strong linkage between mind and body:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-things-therapists-wont-tell-you-2013-07-26 (point 6 – “a morning run will work just as well”).

“…the effect of regular exercise on mild to moderate forms of depression is similar to the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy, according to the co-authors of the book “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety,” Jasper Smits, associate professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and Michael Otto, a psychologist at Boston University. The two authors analyzed the results of dozens of published population-based and clinical studies related to exercise and mental health to arrive at their findings.

There’s little consensus on how or why exercise helps, but Smits says the public health recommendation for daily exercise — 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise or 150 minutes of moderate activity — should be more widely prescribed by mental-health care providers, especially as studies show that 25% to 40% of Americans don’t exercise at all. “Some professionals argue that exercise is the non-pharmacological antidepressant and may work in the same way as these medications,” he says.”

Try to go get those runner’s highs or at least get of the couch.