Depression
I am not the only one in my circle of friends that have been affected in some way by friends and associates around us suffering from depression.
Some are secretly trying to manage this, others are getting it out there that they are struggling and unfortunately some have come to the end of their depression by taking things into their own hands.
When something like this happens, it certainly starts people talking and trying to raise more awareness, they start to try to understand how it could get to this stage, but if you do not have depression, this is very hard to understand, to see the world in the way that those with depression do.
The common campaigns are reach out, ask if they are ok. But unfortunately to some they don’t know how to reach out and ask for help, this is apart of the disease.
I have had many clients that suffer with depression, and at first I was unsure how to handle this, as in do I demand they train, do I not pressure them? I didn’t know which angle to take at first, until I learnt how the brain and body works, it now makes sense to me, so I can accommodate for these clients, and believe me, there are many of them out there due to so many different triggers (more on that soon).
Studies have shown that exercise is at least as effective as the best antidepressant medications. Aerobic exercise releases endorphins – chemicals that your body makes that active reward centre in your brain. Not only do these natural feel-good chemicals regulate and improve mood, they act directly on muscles to help them burn more energy and contract with more power. Exercise also cleans the blood stream of a chemical that makes us feel bad, something called tumor necrosis factor (TNF). TNF is powerful, pro-inflammatory signal that increases sensitivity to pain. (It also inhibits muscle growth and makes blood clots form more easily). So aerobic exercise doesn’t jump pump up your muscle, it pumps up your mood.
It can also pump up your brain – literally. These days, aging baby boomers who forget where they left their car keys – make comments such as “it’s the Alzheimer’s” coming out, exercise helps the brain volume, in both gray and white matter, which relate to making new memories.
Creating new ‘happier’ memories is just what someone with depression needs.
Mindfulness is big out there in the health industry now, and for good reason. Mindfulness of motion applies to all forms of exercise and is a prerequisite to improving performance.
To help someone improve their mind, lift the depression, to go for a walk with them would be a brilliant idea, get them moving – don’t make it strenuous, you don’t have to walk far, just help their muscles stretch and rebound effortlessly, help the blood to flow and get the reward centre in the brain to be activated to improve their mood.
Now many people that suffer depression could say “no” to a walk, but if you are asking them for a coffee or to go see a movie etc, then park the car further away and walk a bit, get them subconsciously doing this, you know what your friends, family members may like to do, so create a little exercise around this.
Exercise for those that are suffering depression – you need to be aware as some of the triggers can be a build up of inflammation – this can be from excessive exercise, so please do not launch them into High Intensity Workouts, highly loaded workouts like 5-6 days a week, as some people with this disease could use the gym as an outlet, but overuse can trigger more obsession, which can lead to more rejection later. By this I mean, they are trying to exercise as much as they can to gain ultimate results, but with this overtraining style they cause burnout to adrenals, bugger up their hormones, and therefore see no results, or worse a reverse effect such as weight gain and loss of strength.
Other triggers can be poor hydration, poor diet such as lots of vegetable oils – read this article for more information on the effects of vegetable oils. Sheer Poison! The facts on vegetable, canola, sunflower and rice bran oils.
So many people say to me that they eat a good diet, but it’s the hidden vegetable oils out there that many consumers are unaware of – one client of mine freaked out to realise they are in packaged spice jars – yes they are everywhere.
Vegetable oils create inflammation and that’s where combined with the TNF creates more inflammation, along with sugar this is a cocktail of disaster.
Many people with depression have an emotional eating issue associated with this, which in many cases involves binging on refined carbohydrates (sugars) and sugar itself. There’s your cocktail right there!
So if you know of anyone with depression, try as much as you can to get them outside in the fresh air for a stroll, and leisurely bike ride, where they can chat and clear their mind, but also move their body so their mind can be cleared through their bloodstream.
Staying away from coffee and cake might be a great idea – no need to tempt the sugar cravings.
Don’t force them into a gym environment, and by all means shop around ask the trainers if they have any experience with people suffering this condition, this is a very important credential to have, mental health is not something that can ‘fit’ into a standard – generalised program. Duty of care is a must.
If you or a friend that would like to begin exercising or be more educated about exercising with hormone imbalances – a great program will be starting on July 17th for 8 weeks check this out: Burn and Learn
To your health
Kerrie Fatone
Professional Health, Fitness and Wellbeing Coach.
