Skip to content
Help Improve Your Mental Health With Weights
Researchers have found that resistance exercise can work just as well as cardio training to treat depression. Depression can have a host of negative effects on our health, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. On top of that sufferers are more susceptible to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease. Due to the nature of this disease, people are also more prone to disregard medical treatments, and therefore face greater risk.
Aerobic exercise is considered an effective treatment for depression. In fact research notes that a hard exercise program can be as effective as antidepressant medication to treat depression. But what about weight training? Well recently researchers investigated the connection between depression and strength training among people middle-aged and older. According to their study, resistance training can have a significant impact.
Strength Exercise Can Help With Depression
This study incorporated 33 individual studies and nearly 2,000 participants. Some participants were diagnosed with mental disorders, while others experienced depression. About half of the people were placed into a control group that didn’t receive treatment. The rest took part in regular strength training.
In all the studies, strength training was associated with significant reductions in symptoms of depression. This was true regardless of the participant's age, sex, or health status; whether they trained twice a week or every day; and whether their workout was high volume and intense or more moderate. When participants were supervised as they worked out, they experienced even greater relief from depression symptoms.
Plan Your Workout Routine
A good exercise program is one that is tailored to you and your goals, as well as a healthy meal plan, proper motivation and rest. If you're just starting out then a trainer will always be a good option to help create this programme for you. Once you do strength training for a week or so, you might discover why many people find it so addictive. You feel great immediately afterwards, you may sleep better and have more energy too.
References
- The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research
- Association of Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training With Depressive Symptoms: Meta-analysis and Meta-regression Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. JAMA Psychiatry.
Are there any articles you would like to see? Let us know
