Exercise Is Powerful Medicine for Depression

People should try to move a little every day, Heisz suggested. Maybe it’s a five-minute or 10-minute walk. It could be a two-minute movement break every 30 minutes for people who sit all day.

“That’s how simple we need to get, especially for people who are not moving at all, and to acknowledge that there is this additional barrier of motivation for people who are suffering from depression,” she said.

“I think that the accumulating evidence is clear that we need to start having a conversation around the benefits of exercise for these individuals, either on its own or as an add-on therapy for medication,” Heisz said.

Dr. Antonia Baum is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

In treating depression, there is a role for exercise, for psychotherapy, for taking away drugs of abuse and for adding medications specifically targeted to be therapeutic, said Baum, who had no role in this study.

The reasons why exercise may benefit mental health are many, she said.

It can improve circulation to the brain and have an impact on inflammation and the body’s immune response. There’s a relationship between heart health and depression. There may also be intangible benefits, such as feeling empowered by getting stronger or having a sense of well-being, Baum said.

The authors of this new study amass a lot of data to support the relationship between physical activity and depression, though there can be many variables, including genetics, Baum said.

In her work, Baum has seen how over-exercise can lead to burnout in athletes or be a factor in an eating disorder, so she was glad to see the study also looked at what point the benefits of exercise might level off.

“They did at least allude to that inverse relationship at a certain crossover point, which of course is difficult to quantify,” Baum said.

While many providers suggest to their patients that they would benefit from exercise, it’s important to bolster that message, said Baum. Practicing what she preaches, sometimes she models exercise behavior in sessions with patients by walking or running with them.