Working Out cured my depression

I knew that physical activity iscreased seretonin, but HOLY FUCK! I actually feel so much better than when i would just sit around all day. Its unreal, how different it is. I still think about things that make me sad, and upset, but less often and i can usually push the thought out of my head or at least think of something else, which i was not able to do before working out. Yall should try it if your feeling blue!

It's awesome to hear that exercise has helped you so much man! Nice work. My dad and I both suffer from pretty bad depression we both swear by exercise to help stabilise our moods. It really does help.

Keep it up man! Thanks for sharing your success

glad to hear of your sucess, i also find a good steady diet helps so much too...

but in saying that i guess thier is a limit too, sometimes i go overboard and feel worst cause im outa energy and plain sore......

but i couldnt agree more, exercise for life

Thanks I should try this. What sort of working out did you do, mainly weightlifting or cardio? Or do you mean just exercise in general?

Man, I have battled anxiety and depression for 10 years and whenever I go through periods of working out alot, it nearly COMPLETELY cures it. It's actually insane how much of a difference it makes.

I do weight-training, and find that it is more effective than cardio.

IMO, the goal of every healthy, young male should be to transform himself into a 240 lb rock solid, egomaniacal tank of a man. See, when you get to that point, your narcissism makes you immune to any sort of depression, and nobody gives you any shit because they sense that if they do, you can and will fuck them up.

Binge_Artist said:

IMO, the goal of every healthy, young male should be to transform himself into a 240 lb rock solid, egomaniacal tank of a man. See, when you get to that point, your narcissism makes you immune to any sort of depression, and nobody gives you any shit because they sense that if they do, you can and will fuck them up.

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sort of sad, but mostly true %)

the human body requires exercise in order to be in its proper state of being. not exercising throws all systems out of alignment and into disrepair, especially the complex chemical relations and reactions which form the backbone of our emotions. i cant believe that those who dont exercise every day arent depressed!

Binge_Artist said:

IMO, the goal of every healthy, young male should be to transform himself into a 240 lb rock solid, egomaniacal tank of a man. See, when you get to that point, your narcissism makes you immune to any sort of depression, and nobody gives you any shit because they sense that if they do, you can and will fuck them up.

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this is the least amount of truth ive been exposed to all day. a blind ego charging straight into a brick wall is merely a statistic. one's narcissism is just a mask for ignorance, insecurity, and self destruction. you cant and wont fuck up many self reliant, self knowing, and egoless, life long fighters who are 2/3 of that weight, and plenty of people will give a shit because its obnoxious to stand too close to a frightened gorilla with the intellectual development of a small child. firstly this follows a strong short term gain, long term consequence strategy that can only be derived from an immature, bubble and burst culture. while a body may achieve standards for "fitness" temporarily, such a transformation is non sustainable, destructive to the self, destructive to the environment, and bound by laws of diminishing returns. secondly this is much akin to shoving ones problems under a carpet and acting as though they arent there. whatever caused one's lack of personal integrity, one's anxiety, or one's dissatisfaction with one's lot was merely buried out of sight with force, not overcome and eliminated through self discipline and respect.

the goal of every healthy, young male, should be the preservation of the self through diet, lifestyle, and relations with others, while aiming for the dissolution of the ego through meditation, rigid philosophical development, and self actualization.

rm-rf, I think you're taking BA's post a little too seriously. That said, I agree 100% with your last sentence.

As a depressed person I can certainly say that exercise helps me more than any prescribed medication, or even unprescribed.

I am happy for you.

PriestTheyCalledHim said:

Thanks I should try this. What sort of working out did you do, mainly weightlifting or cardio? Or do you mean just exercise in general?

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I start with 10 minutes of cardio, then heavy lifting
i also take creatine, protein, glutamine, and a multi vitamin to supplement

OverteHorizonRadar said:

I start with 10 minutes of cardio, then heavy lifting
i also take creatine, protein, glutamine, and a multi vitamin to supplement

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Are you trying to gain weight/muscle? Do the Creatine, protein, and gultamine help with that?

I tried to do this before with whey protein and it didn't work for me. I think with my body type/metabolism and other factors I'm not sure if those would work for me.

You need more than just a protein supplement if you want to build muscle mass with your metabolism. You'd need to take in a lot more calories as well.

OP, i'm happy to hear what a positive effect exercise has had on depression you've experienced. i def agree w/ you -to a point. there are depths of depression no amount of exercise can relieve or change.
for a number of years i have run/walked to relieve stress and, to some degree, depression. like many things after awhile the strong positive effects decrease and can't be regained by adding more time, more miles, more whatever.
hopefully exercise will continue to have a positive effect on your mood and you will never experience the decrease of positive response that i have. i still run/walk 10+ miles a week but i am really struggling w/major depression again.
best of luck to you.
-izzy

Personally, I quickly developed a tolerance to the supposed endorphin rush of "runner's high".

Still, anybody who spends most of his time in front of a computer should try to get on a treadmill for ~30 minutes or so preferably on a daily basis - atleast for me, it works wonders against neck pain.

I have to agree- being depressed makes you highly self-critical and working out and improving your body image will in turn help your self-image.

Consistant exercise has improved my mood dramatically. I sleep better and I deal with stress better.

I always sleep well nowadays; credits go to diet, fitness and systems therapy. Also: No more negative thought loops. I don't worry too much about anything anymore, except maybe missing workouts.

Good stuff

Agreeing most with rm-rf.

I do agree with the poster's topic title: working out helps you.

I do feel physically and mentally better when I sport regularly. But the sport itself has to be rewarding, complex and fun for me, I wouldn't be able to do something like weight lifting, or cardio. Some game has to be involved, for me.

I think we were designed to be using our bodies along with our brains. The body as something more than just a vessel for the brain - because that's what it is in most jobs which require an education. When you neglect your body and do not test it's limits by running or using muscles from time to time, you're missing out. Your body can create it's own drugs, hormones, and some of them are pretty neat. And there's definately much going on hormonally inside you when you're doing physical exercise.

I like a combination of both in my sports - using your body AND brain. As opposed to weight lifting in which you only really use your body.

I don't really like jogging - through my city - but I do it from time to time, still. For me this is about self-discipline, mind over matter, etc, to keep on running even though your body is giving signals to stop. It's about practicing self-control, the same type I would need for example to start studying, and not get distracted in the process. A friend of mine (who is really anti-sports) once made a remark about this. He considered all people who jog or sport and experience a little bit of discomfort sadomasochists. But, jogging, exercising, it has been proven, isn't really bad for you at all. As long as you not overdo it and run marathons. That you choose to do something, and accept a little bit of physical discomfort, or even pain (because you are NOT a pussy ) ; it's not the same as deliberately seeking pain and enjoying the experience of that.

PriestTheyCalledHim said:

Are you trying to gain weight/muscle? Do the Creatine, protein, and gultamine help with that?

I tried to do this before with whey protein and it didn't work for me. I think with my body type/metabolism and other factors I'm not sure if those would work for me.

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i try hard to gain lean muscle. so eating healthy at the same time supplementing with protein powder, and glutamine for muscle recovery and creatine is to supplement muscle growth, i have a workout routine, its 5 days and it goes on for about a month, if anyone is interested PM me. its for gaining muscle, and tone, not just a gaining routine