FIGHTING DEPRESSION W/ EXERCISE

The current population of Indonesia in 2024 is estimated to be 280 million, this is also the number of people who are living with depression according to the World Health Organization. Statistics tell us that 1.9 million children ranging from 3-17 have been diagnosed with depression. Young adults from 18-29 have shown to have the highest rates of depression, with an estimated 21%. Adults from 30-44 hit 16.4%, 45-64 at 18.4%, and 65+ reach 18.4%. In the year 2023 depression rates hit a whopping 29%, according to statistics by Gallup black adults made up the bulk, followed by hispanics, and last being caucasian adults.

Majority of the clients I work with tell me that they are diagnosed with depression or they’ve experienced symptoms at some point in their lives. By just paying attention to my surroundings, it’s staggering the amount negativity and subtle negativity I hear people display everyday. It’s infectious, positivity and optimism have become rare sightings in our society. Depression is something that runs through my family, although I’ve never been diagnosed I have gone through stages in my life where I was depressed. From my time in rehab recovering from my injury, even two years ago when I was dealing with a break up and struggling to find myself; I combatted the sadness and loneliness I felt with negative talk and smoking weed….a lot of weed. When I blazed up Mary Jane everything was good in the world, I was laughing, smiling, and dancing with the stars. My mother feared I was addicted, I denied her accusations and told her “I only do it on weekends”; the reality, I was taking trips to the moon every day. This is not to demonize marijuana because I do believe in its’ benefits. But when I started implementing more exercise, setting intentional goals, and focusing on productive habits did I realize I don’t need weed to be happy, be more creative, or live a better life.

COVID-19 brought a significant rise in depression rates. A lot of people lost their businesses, jobs, friends, family, and had to deal with the cacophony by having no other choice but to sit at home and indulge in drugs, technology, and ultra processed foods. Apps such as TikTok became the biggest hit since sliced bread and it was the most downloaded app in 2020. Instagram had 1.435 billion active users world wide in 2020, in the United States alone there was 114.6 million active users. In 2019 there was 1.2 billion worldwide and 107.2 million active users in the United States. I believe the uprising depression rate is caused by the consumption of media apps from our phones. With each unpredictable scroll we’re comparing, contrasting, losing sight of ourselves, and getting hits of dopamine with the swipe of a finger. It’s easy and requires no discomfort; Moderation is key with everything but we have forgotten the definition of the word. A study done by the National Library of Medicine showed that high cell phone use among youngsters contribute to higher rates of depression at an estimated amount of 95%.

How do we reverse this? My answer is EXERCISE! Exercise causes a chain reaction not just in our bodies but in our brains. High intensity training activates the feel good chemicals in our brain. Endorphins are released resulting in a natural high that makes us feel enlightened. When working with my clients, I immediately notice a change in their mood when they’re finished doing an intense workout with me. They’re uncomfortable and would much rather be home, but they always call me afterwards to report how good they feel. It makes me happy seeing them happy. Knowing that I made someone healthier and happier gives me a sense of purpose. I make it a goal to do something that challenges me everyday whether if It’s physical or mental. When I started backing off my weed consumption I began implementing more exercise. I was still active during the height of my addiction but once I eased off I began challenging myself more. When I felt the itch to smoke, I went for a walk, to the gym, picked up my jump rope, and worked on new tricks to distract myself. I began replacing bad habits for good ones, and soon enough the good habits expanded. The fitter I got the better my daily habits became. Because I was doing so well athletically it caused me to take better care of my diet, sleep, and recovery. I wanted to maintain and elevate my progress, which in turn made me more health conscious. My fitness means a lot to me and in order for me to feel my best, perform my best, and give my clients my best self I prioritize my exercise. As an example I live 35 minutes away from my school; On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have class from 10am-4pm and I have my clients to train at 5 and 6pm. In order for me to get my exercise, make it to school, and train my clients I get up at 5am so that I can have the time to elevate myself. PRIORITIZATION IS KEY!

Meeting goals and challenges for physical activity daily has been proven to boost your self confidence. We should know by now that getting in shape makes you feel good, and makes you feel better about your appearance. A recent study done of 32 randomized controlled trials (RCT’s) showed that “exercise is more effective than a control intervention for reducing the symptoms of depression”. In lenience terms, this means that exercising helps reduce symptoms of depression better than doing nothing or doing something that doesn't target depression. SSRI’s and antidepressants although proven to be useful, taking them long term has shown to come with obstructive side affects. Antidepressants over an expended period of time result in: Down-regulation of serotonin receptors that lead to mood swings and weight gain, it can affect your sleep causing insomnia, sexual dysfunction, and recent research has shown a link in an increase risk of diabetes.

Neuroplasticity is defined as the brains ability to change, allowing for neurogenesis that gives birth to new neurons that: Increase the thickness of our brains frontal cortex, increases synapses in the hippocampus, and increases expression of genes related with memory and learning (BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR). The laundry list goes on and on and on…and on. A randomized control trial taps into this phenomena even further. This trial had 156 adult participants that were assigned exercise, the antidepressant (Zoloft), and both. After 4 months the participants had an incredulous improvement in depressive symptoms. The medication group had a faster response in the first month but statistically there was no difference at the end of the 4 month period between the three groups. To expand on this, a study of two groups was done to see what kind of exercise is better for reversing depressive symptoms. One group participated in light stretching/relaxing exercises, and the other group participated in aerobic exercise (higher intensity). The aerobic group had a 65% better reduction in depressive symptoms compared to the light exercise group at just 22%.

Thanks to all the health benefits of exercise, it sparked a domino effect of good habits into my life. It gave me strength to climb out of that void I was filling with negative self talk and drugs. It led me to discovering what I’m truly passionate about and that’s making others healthier, happier, and discovering their potential through movement. I have aspirations to work with elite athletes from all disciplines, to help better that man, woman, or child struggling with their physical and mental health while I also work on making myself the world’s most versatile athlete. Thanks to exercise I was able to realize what I truly wanted out of life, the only downside I can report is that it has made sitting down really hard and makes me spend more money on new sports to conquer. As I write this I’m shopping for a bicycle so that I can start competing locally and be the next Lance Armstrong (minus the steroids). To close this off I’ll leave you with a quote by one of my favorite Greek philosophers, “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which body is capable” - Socrates.

1%