Depression Reduction Through Exercise

"Exercise may offer a viable treatment alternative, particularly as it can be recommended for most individuals." 

The effect you find using aerobic exercise alone in treating clinical depression is similar to what you find with antidepressant medications. Two groups participated in moderately intense aerobics consistent with public health recommendations; one of those groups exercised three days a week and the other five days. A study showed that 80 people randomly placed into five groups. Individuals who participated in moderately intense aerobics, such as exercising on a treadmill or stationary bicycle - whether it was for three or five days per week - experienced a decline in depressive symptoms by an average of 47 percent after 12 weeks. The first study to look at exercise alone in treating mild to moderate depression in adults aged 20 to 45 showed that depressive symptoms were reduced almost 50 percent in individuals who participated in 30-minute aerobic exercise sessions three to five times a week. Another two groups participated in lower-intensity aerobics for three days and five days per week, and a fifth group did stretching flexibility exercises 15 to 20 minutes three days per week. Those in the low-intensity exercise groups showed a 30 percent reduction in symptoms, while those in the last group averaged a 29 percent decline. Numerous effective treatments for depression are available, yet many people don't seek treatment because of the negative social stigma still associated with the disease. The key is the intensity of the exercise and continuing it for 30 to 35 minutes per day.