How Does Exercise Help Depression?

Depression is a condition that, when it gets a hold of us, actually changes our brain a little bit.

And there's a part of our brain that is responsible for generating new neurons.

It's called the hippocampus.

When we're depressed, that area actually can atrophy, get weak, stop generating new neurons.

And we know that exercise wakes up that area of the brain, that hippocampus.

We know that people that are exercising are creating new neurons. It's pretty hard to be depressed while you're exercising.

And that's almost always part of a regimen that we're prescribing to folks who are experiencing depression.

Get your body moving.

Get it moving actively.

If you get it moving real vigorously, you can activate endorphins, natural pain relieving elements.

And people who are depressed often complain of pain sometimes too.

So exercise is a big plus for anybody who's experiencing depression.