Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths.

— Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Everyone knows the benefits of fitness and healthy exercise habits. However, studies now are coming into light showing that regimens of exercise specifically aerobic can help with symptoms of depression, PTSD, and other mental disorders. Studies have concluded that just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise can decrease the symptoms of depression in the same manner as the world leading prescription antidepressant. Studies concluded that exercise produces these benefits, ones similar too, and many more in all birth cohorts across the boards, even in people with other serious diseases. If exercise can have a similar effect to antidepressants, stacking it on top of current treatment protocols could only decrease the symptoms and lead us towards a path to a better, healthier life.

Micheli L, Ceccarelli M, D’Andrea G, Tirone F. Depression and adult neurogenesis: Positive effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine and of physical exercise. Brain Res Bull. 2018;143:181–193. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2018.09.002

Toups M, Carmody T, Greer T, Rethorst C, Grannemann B, Trivedi MH. Exercise is an effective treatment for positive valence symptoms in major depression. J Affect Disord. 2017;209:188–194. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.058