Our Way
Posted by fluteserenity - 04/24/08, 07:54 am
"Our way is not soft grass; it's a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upward, forward, toward the sun."
- Ruth Westheimer
Welcome
Join This Group
For those of us who have hit rock bottom and have bounced off ready to take on the world again and get going! This group is for ALL members of DS who are committed to exercising in any way possible - a walk around the block or an hour at the gym - or for those who are just thinking about starting to exercise! Exercise can help control stress and is proven to help those with depression - its time to get going yall.
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Group News
Exercise Can Help Control Stress
Posted by fluteserenity - 04/10/08, 07:28 amPeople who exercise regularly will tell you they feel better. Some will say it's because chemicals called neurotransmitters, produced in the brain, are stimulated during exercise. Since it's believed that neurotransmitters mediate our moods and emotions, they can make us feel better and less stressed.
While there's no scientific evidence to conclusively support the neurotransmitter theory, there is plenty to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits.
Four ways exercise controls stress
1. Exercise can help you feel less anxious. Exercise is being prescribed in clinical settings to help treat nervous tension. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measured a decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People have been less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.
Exercise can relax you. One exercise session generates 90 to 120 minutes of relaxation response. Some people call this post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response. We now know that many neurotransmitters, not just endorphins, are involved. The important thing though is not what they're called, but what they do: They improve your mood and leave you relaxed.
Exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Think about those times when you've been physically active. Haven't you felt better about yourself? That feeling of self-worth contributes to stress relief.
Exercise can make you eat better. People who exercise regularly tend to eat more nutritious food. And it's no secret that good nutrition helps your body manage stress better.
It's time to get started
Now that you know exercise can make a big difference in controlling stress, make some time for regular physical activity. We'll help you get started by listing three activities you can choose from:
Aerobic activity All it takes is 20 minutes' worth, six to seven days a week. Twenty minutes won't carve a big chunk out of your day, but it will improve your ability to control stress significantly.Yoga In yoga or yoga-type activities, your mind relaxes progressively as your body increases its amount of muscular work. Recent studies have shown that when large muscle groups repeatedly contract and relax, the brain receives a signal to release specific neurotransmitters, which in turn make you feel relaxed and more alert.
Recreational sports Play tennis, racquetball, volleyball or squash. These games require the kind of vigorous activity that rids your body of stress-causing adrenaline and other hormones.
Not just any exercise will do
Don't try exercising in your office. Outdoors or away from the office is the best place to find a stress-free environment. Even a corporate fitness center can have too many work-related thoughts for some people.
Stay away from overcrowded classes. If you work surrounded by people, a big exercise class may be counterproductive. Solo exercise may be more relaxing for you. If, however, you work alone, you may enjoy the social benefit of exercising in a group. A lot depends on your personality and what causes stress for you.
Don't skip a chance to exercise. Take a break every 90 minutes and you'll be doing yourself a favor. Ninety-minute intervals are a natural work-break period. And four 10-minute exercise breaks at this time will burn about as many calories as a solid 40-minute session. Work-break exercises can be as simple as walking or climbing stairs, stretching or doing calisthenics.
Controlling stress comes down to making the time to exercise. You're worth it!
http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitfacts_display.aspx?itemid=51
How Exercise Can Help in Recovery from Depression
Posted by fluteserenity - 04/10/08, 07:27 am
Benefits of Exercise in Recovery from Depression
If you're just recovering from depression, you may still feel pretty exhausted. Putting on your sneakers and going to the gym could seem like the last thing you want to do. But the fact is that exercise is important for both your physical and mental health.
Many studies show that physical activity can help with recovery from depression. One such study showed that exercise -- three sessions of aerobic activity each week -- worked about as well as medication in reducing the symptoms of depression. In addition, the researchers found that after 10 months, people who exercised were much less likely to relapse than people who took medicine. The results were published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine in 2000. A 2005 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that moderate aerobic workouts, done three to five times weekly, cut mild to moderate depression symptoms nearly in half.
Here are some tips to starting off a new exercise routine.
Start slow. Don't try to jump from a life of total inactivity right to marathon training! That will just leave you sore and demoralized. Instead, gradually work your way up. Start by exercising just for a short period of time -- a few minutes or more -- only on a few days of the week. Don't do more than that for a week or two. Slowly build up to exercising for half an hour or more, four days a week.Break it up. You don't have to get all of your physical activity in a single stretch or with one activity. Many people prefer doing smaller sessions of exercise during the day and varying the types of exercise. Three 15 minute walks are as good as one 45 minute walk.Pick something you enjoy. This advice may seem obvious. But a lot of people choose a sport not because they like it, but because they think that it will be good for them. If you treat exercise like a bitter medicine -- unpleasant but good for you -- you probably won't stick with it. Remember that there are a lot of activities to choose from, and they can be enjoyable: swimming in a local pool, using home fitness equipment in front of the TV, going for hikes, or taking a fun exercise class. Try different types of physical activity until you find one that you really like doing.Exercise with other people. Solo physical activity is sometimes hard to stick to - it makes it easier to decide not to do it at that moment. But if you have a plan to exercise with someone else, you might feel more committed. So seek out an exercise partner. Make a date to walk with a neighbor at a specific time, on specific days. Or start up a regular tennis game with a friend. Many people find that structured classes -- like aerobics or yoga -- also help them stick with a program.Get more everyday physical activity. Try adding a little extra physical activity whenever and wherever you can during your daily routine. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park a little further away from your workplace, so you can sneak in some extra walking. Stuff your remote control under a couch cushion and get up to change the channel. Over time, little changes to your behavior can add up to a big improvement in your health! http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/135/119528.htm
