Most people within a lifetime will experience depressive-like symptoms, 1 in 5 according to Statistics Canada. This becomes a problem with persistent time and severity of symptoms, further developing as Major Depressive Disorder.

Since depression is one of the more common mental health disorders, many therapies have been developed in order to improve symptoms. This includes drug therapy and psychological treatments. However, exercise has been gaining attention as a new treatment, as more research has been done in the field. Since exercise as therapy is a newer concept, we need to be cautious of claims and other issues with treating depression with exercise. One of the most concerning claims is: you don’t need medication for depression. Just exercise.

It’s no surprise that humans hate taking medications, but I would say this is quite short-sighted as we don’t have enough data to prove that exercise works better than medications. There are other major problems with this argument.

  1. Exercise therapy is NOT currently covered by healthcare: If this is a treatment alternative, we must start treating it as such. While going for a walk or run is free, there are lots of people out there who could benefit from a professionals’ guidance.
  2. Exercise professionals are not psychologists: Certain problems cannot be solved by exercise. While we can certainly help a client feel better about their skills and their body, that may be just the tip of the iceberg behind someone’s depressive symptoms.
  3. More research is needed: Currently they have found moderate improvements in depression symptoms while treating with cardiovascular fitness, but more must be done to determine dosage, and how exercise like strength training can help.[1]

Solutions

I’m not saying we should discredit exercise as a form of therapy yet. The results are promising; all we need is more data. However, if exercise is found to be a good alternative for antidepressants, then the medical community should recognize it as a form of therapy so it can be covered by insurance.

At MacEwan University Sport and Wellness we work with Student Affairs on the PASS program (Physical Activity for Student Success), where students attending counselling sessions can be referred to us to receive free personal training. This is highly ambitious and more effective approach, as students receive counselling in addition to personal training!

We are currently analyzing the data to see how successful the program is, and will keep you posted.

That being said, just because the research is new, doesn’t mean exercise isn’t helpful for improving our mental health. While the exact relationship between why exercise might help depression is unknown, we do know is that exercise can help individuals in different ways:

  1. Develop mastery-based fitness goals. i.e. learning how to do the perfect squat. These goals are associated with greater feelings of accomplishment, and may help with creating a more flexible, positive self-concept.[2]
  2. Provide a social outlet, which has been shown to prevent future incidence of depression, and alleviate symptoms of depression. This is particularly true in terms of having a membership and taking part in group exercise classes. i.e. I have my fitness friends at MacEwan.[3]
  3. Effective stress-reliever. Aerobic exercise has been shown to have a calming effect on the mind, all it takes is 20-30 minutes. Research on strength training, and activities such as yoga is currently in progress. The specific brain mechanisms have yet to be determined, but researchers believe it helps regulate release of dopamine, serotonin, and cortisol, which can alleviate symptoms associated with stress and depression.[4]

So, if you’re going through a difficult time in your life, there are people out there that can help including our amazing staff at MacEwan University Sport and Wellness. We would love to help you improve both physically and mentally.

If you or someone else you know feel like you need to reach out to someone, the number for the 24-Hour Distress line in Edmonton is 780-482-HELP (4357).

[1] Schuch, F. B., Vancampfort, D., Richards, J., Rosenbaum, S., Ward, P. B., & Stubbs, B. (2016). Exercise as a treatment of depression: A meta-analysis adjusting for publication bias. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 77: 42-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.02.023

[2] Vella, S. A., Braithewaite, R. E., Gardner, L. A., Gardner, L. A., & Spray, C. M. (2016). A systematic review and meta-analysis of implicit theory research in sport, physical activity, and physical education. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 9(1), 191-214. doi: 10.1080/1750984X.2016.1160418

[3] Cruwys, T., Dingle, G. A., Haslam, C., Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., & Morton, T. A. Social group memberships protect against future depression, alleviate depression symptoms and prevent depression relapse. Social Science and Medicine. 98: 179-186. doi: 1016/j.socscimed.2013.09.013

[4] Jackson, E. M. (2013). STRESS RELIEF: The role of exercise in stress management. ACSM Health and Fitness Journal. 17(3), 14-19. doi: 10.1249/FIT.0b013e31828cb1c9