Better Choices in Mental Health

Grouchiness Happens. Walk It Off

Tuesday,January31, 2006

(exerpts from an article by John Briley of the Washington Post)

Your loyal Moving Crew correspondent has reported on many studies showing that exercise helps relieve symptoms of depression. We also know that people who are not clinically depressed but have periodic lapses into grouchy, scowly,

stress-addled, short-tempered gloom -- which is to say, you, me and most of our earthly cohabitants -- report feeling better after working out.

A new study demonstrates, for the first time, that a single session of moderate-intensity exercise improves important mood markers of depression. This was after, essentially, one 30-minute walk.

The study was done on people with major depressive disorder, a serious clinical condition. But the researchers believe that the single-session mood-lift also applies to those of us who just feel lousy.

The study, published in the December issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise, compared the effect of 30 minutes of quiet rest to the effect of 30 minutes of treadmill walking at 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate.

The exercise group reported improvements in positive markers -- specifically in "vigor" and "well-being."

Lead researcher John B. Bartholomew, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas at Austin, attributed the boosts in vigor and well-being to a sense of "perceived accomplishment" among exercisers.

We trust this sounds familiar: Do something you know is good for you (exercise), realize it isn't nearly as hard as you'd feared (recall we're talking about walking here) and bask in the sense of achievement.

People who make exercise part of their routine earn sustained benefits: Citing a noteworthy study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine in 2000, Bartholomew wrote, "[r]egular exercise also has been shown to protect against relapse" in depressed subjects.

Importantly, he confirmed that exercise boosts dour moods, even in people

without clinical disorders. He notes that exercise of just about any intensity reliably reduces negative moods, but the boost in positive moods seems

to be "more tenuous and dependent upon feeling good about your workout."

A few key points here: The folks in the new study exercised on a treadmill, meaning they were reaping none of the psychological benefits of being outside, breathing fresh air and observing other people.

Plus, exercise is not only cheaper than antidepressants (or the alcohol or illegal drugs many depressed people turn to for relief), its benefits are immediate. The drugs typically take at least two weeks to begin working, and significant relief often doesn't come for eight weeks.

at http://washingtonpost.com/liveonline All questions, comments and moods warmly welcome.

-- John Briley