photo credit: another fun dog via photopin (license)
Here is another fun fact about exercise and health. Findings from a study published this week suggest that moderate amounts of physical activity may have a protective effect on potential depressive symptoms. Yep. That’s right. If you want to get happy, get moving.
Specifically, the study looked at data obtained over a 10-year period at 2,891 women ages 42-52 years. In a nutshell, they found that those women who exercised a minimum of 150 minutes per week (20 minutes per day) reported feeling less down in the dumps when compared to women who exercised less.
When people are feeling blue, the last thing they want to do is get up and move. This is where it gets tricky. They are not motivated to hire a personal trainer to tell them what to do; in fact, they may resent being told what to do. I have witnessed that many times. There has to be some sort of intrinsic motivation to get the gumption up to move. The key is in the small manageable baby steps.
One concept I have found helpful is creating a thinking shift: using the power of choice. The question, “What are you willing to try?” Sometimes people need to “try on” certain behaviors to see if they fit. I had one patient who was sent to me by a physician with an exercise prescription to MOVE. This patient was feeling resentful being told what to do by her physician. After expressing empathy, I asked her what she was willing to try. After some back and forth, she finally came up with what she was willing to try and that was walk for 1 minute on the treadmill. Having the choice gave her the freedom to let go of external pressures and tune into what she was willing to try. That is how behavior change begins. Small baby steps are the key to success. This woman eventually learned how to live actively on her own terms; she gradually worked up to 30 minutes walking 5 days per week.
If you find yourself feeling blue and overwhelmed with the thought of starting activity, here are 5 tips to get you on the road to an active life:
- Forget about any exercise plan you have read about or heard about. These are other people’s plans and not yours. Your plan must come from YOU.
- Set yourself up for success. If your plan is to walk for 10 minutes, how can you make sure it happens? Having your shoes by the door, sleeping in your sweats so that you are already dressed to exercise when you wake up, keeping your shoes in the car so you can walk before you get home from work. These are some tips my clients have used that worked for them.
- Prepare for obstacles. Can you anticipate potential obstacles that might get in your way? How can you overcome them?
- Fitness and friendship. Try walking with some friends. Social support is strongly associated with less depression.
- There is no right or wrong way to add activity into your life. Try out different things, different times of the day, different environments, different instructors. Some will feel better than others.
Physical activity – finding joy from the inside out.