🚶🏻‍♂️ Anti-depressants vs Walking

It was 1999. 12 researchers were about to challenge everything we thought we knew about depression.

They put 50+ year old depressed men and women into 3 groups.

1. First group walked, jogged, or biked 45 mins 3x a week.

2. Next group took antidepressants (Zoloft).

3. Everyone else did both.

After 4 months, all 3 groups were happier.

Just let that sink in… a little exercise a few times a week was as effective as prescription medication.

Why’s exercise better than meds, then?

• meds can be super expensive

• They all can have bad side effects

• And people in the meds group were far more likely to relapse back into depression later

But excercise made people just as happy as the meds, without the cons.

In fact, when I was studying psychology at Brigham Young University, I once heard the distinction that instead of thinking of exercise like a stimulant (boosts energy/happiness) we should think of NOT exercising as a depressant (drops energy/happiness). Our bodies naturally need to move, so when we don’t, it’s like actively taking a depressant.

Exercise is the cheapest, cleanest, and best long term solution for living happier. I rest my case.

Go out for a walk today. 10 mins could make all the difference.

Already doing that? Step it up to 30 or 45 mins, and do it 3 times a week.

You’ll love it!

Obviously: don’t change or stop any meds without talking to your doctor.