Wellness Wednesday

An Hour of Exercise a Day, Keeps the Blues Away

A landmark study conducted by the Black Dog Institute through the University of New South Wales has concretely concluded that an hour of exercise at any intensity can help prevent depression.

Over the past decade or so the importance of exercise has been critically stressed by multiple health organizations and the government itself. Through multiple health studies it has been found and proven that exercise helps control weight, combat and prevent health conditions and diseases, boost energy, promote improved sleep, and even improve libido! In many of these cases, it is especially important that the exercise be of a moderate to high intensity and performed on a regular basis in order for the desired results to be achieved. However, new results have found that exercise for one hour a day, of any level of  intensity, will lead to a decreased risk of depression in anyone who adheres to the exercise regimen. The new findings were recently published in the American Journal of Psychiatry and were conducted by researchers at the University of South Wales.

The study looked at 33,908 Norwegian adults who had their levels of exercise and symptoms depression monitored over 11 years, and found that 12 percent of cases of depression reported could have been prevented had the participants took part in at least an hour of exercise today. While it has been known for some time that exercise can be used as a tool to treat depression, this is the first case in which it has been able to have been quantified in regards to its potential as a preventative measure for depression. The study, which accounted for variables such as socio-economic and demographic factors, also found that those who reported no exercise at all were at a 44% increased chance of developing depression compared to those who exercised 1-2 hours a week. This study only served to highlight the importance of exercise in a nation where obesity and depression are on the rise.