The Best Exercise for Depression
Is there a best exercise for managing depression?
When it comes to managing depression, exercise can be a powerful tool.
While many people assume that relief can only come from antidepressants, exercise offers a compelling alternative supported by numerous studies.
Consider the following points:
- Effectiveness: Antidepressants may not work for everyone, and in some cases, they can intensify depression.
- Side Effects: Some individuals experience significant and sometimes severe side effects from antidepressants, which can impact various aspects of life, such as career or home life.
- Treatment-Resistant Depression: For those with treatment-resistant depression, traditional medications may not be effective.
Fortunately, there is substantial evidence suggesting that exercise can help manage symptoms of depression.¹
Regular physical activity has been shown to improve both mental and physical health.
It’s important to note that while exercise is not a cure for depression, it can significantly enhance your overall well-being.
However, when experiencing deep depression, finding the motivation to exercise can be challenging.
If you’re struggling with how to get started, I hope the following insights and tips gleaned from personal experience will help.
My Story
By 2012, I was at the lowest point in my life.
I struggled with obesity and depression, reaching my highest weight ever at 275 pounds (125kg).
It was a vicious cycle:
- Feel depressed
- Eat junk food to calm my mind
- Feel better temporarily from the sugar high
- Wake up the next day heavier than before
- Feel depressed again
Besides obesity and depression, I had all the negative health markers common to men over 50:
- High cholesterol levels
- High blood pressure
- An A1c level dangerously close to type 2 diabetes
By age 55, I had experienced significant changes in my life.
Ten years earlier, I lived with my family and felt like a human being, a provider, a father, and a man.
After the divorce, I struggled to recognize myself and lost my sense of identity.
I felt like my life was over, and I started taking antidepressants, which led to suicidal thoughts—a situation that, unfortunately, is not uncommon for men after divorce.
Wolffer’s estate
In June of 2012, I decided to visit Wolffer’s Estate Vineyard on Long Island for a change of scenery.
It was my first time at a vineyard, and the beauty was breathtaking.
The rows of grapevines stretched far into the distance, glistening under the setting sun.
I couldn’t help but wonder about the owner of such a beautiful property.
What if a storm destroyed his amazing vineyard, home, and family?
How long would he mourn his losses?
I imagined the owner sitting on the ground of his field, devastated but determined.
It dawned on me that he wouldn’t wait ten years to try and pick up the pieces.
No matter how tragic his losses were, he would rebuild as long as he had his land and strength.
Man is like the tree of a field
Suddenly, I realized that I am like that field.
Just as the vineyard owner still had his land, I still had my body, life, and consciousness.
People often ask, “What field are you in?” when they want to know what you do for a living.
Careers are called fields, and life is like a field.
Either you work at building one, or you don’t.
As I stood on the porch looking out at the vineyard, I visualized the owner sitting in the ruins of his previous life.
He was forlorn, mourning his devastating losses.
Get Up!
But then he got up and started moving.
He began breaking up the dirt, preparing to plant a new vineyard.
He didn’t work in anyone else’s field, only his own.
Despite his traumatic losses, he focused on tilling the soil and creating new rows for the next season’s grapes.
Instead of giving up, he pushed himself physically until he had replanted his entire vineyard.
Thinking about his former life wouldn’t get him anywhere; he had to take physical action to rebuild.
I realized that there was no way I could ever talk myself out of obesity or depression.
Like the vineyard owner, I had to get up and do something physical.
But what should I do?
The Lessons of the Vineyard
So, I thought about the steps the owner had to take to rebuild his vineyard from his desolate field.
And I hoped that similar actions would help me rebuild my life.
I started to think of the vineyard as a parable.
Like much of nature, grapevines can be great teachers.
Reflecting on the owner’s steps to rebuild his vineyard from a desolate field, I hoped similar actions would help me rebuild my life.
#1. Choose to Plant a Vineyard
Decide to be productive again.
#2. Avoid the Shade
Select a site with ample sunlight – focus on positive thoughts and avoid negativity.
#3. Work the Field
Find an exercise to work the body, let go of the past, and focus on the present.
#4. Plant the Field
Cultivate thoughts of hope and expectation for the future.
#5. Water the Ground
Just as water fuels the vineyard, shift from processed foods to nourishing yourself with real food.
#6. Take Care of the Vineyard
Care for your body diligently, just as the owner takes care of his or her vineyard.
#7. Harvest the Vineyard
Appreciate every accomplishment, no matter how small.
#8. Winnow
Focus on the best aspects of your life.
#9. Press the Wine
Utilize your best talents and opportunities.
#10. Drink the Wine
Celebrate the gift of life with family and friends.
Reflecting on the vineyard, I realized that if wine can grow from the earth, I can turn my life around, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.
The Vanderbilt Y
So, I chose to plant a vineyard but did not know how best to work my field—my body.
I also had no clue what to eat to achieve weight loss.
Fortunately, figuring out the latter was easier than deadlifting!
I often exercised at the Vanderbilt YMCA on 48th Street in New York City.
Despite my efforts, I gained more weight than when I started ten years earlier.
Sometimes I went swimming, other times I tried a bike class, used some weight machines, or walked on the treadmill.
Yet, despite the years passing by, my body never changed.
No matter how many diets or weight loss programs I tried, I could not lose weight.
I did curls with the same 20-pound dumbbells for years.
By 2012, I had a 50-inch waist and extra-large plaid shirts to hide my ever-expanding belly.
I had always seen the free-weight area of the gym, but it was the last place I ever wanted to venture.
The weights were intimidating, and many people in the free-weight area seemed in much better shape than the machine users, making it embarrassing to go there.
Even if I wanted to, I had no clue what to do.
How could a 55-year-old man even dare to think of lifting a barbell?
But I did not forget my imaginary vineyard owner since I had gone to Wolffer’s estate.
So, I searched online to see which type of weight lifting was considered the best and most effective, which could ‘break the earth and till the soil.’
Enter the Deadlift – One Fantastic Exercise to Help Depression
Around this time, I first read about a compound weightlifting movement called the deadlift.
There were conflicting opinions about which lift was the king of all exercises, either the squat or the deadlift.
However, due to a torn meniscus, squatting was not an option for me, so I decided to give the deadlift a try.
I was initially skeptical.
How effective could one exercise be?
You bend down and pick up the weight—what’s the big deal?
The big deal is that the deadlift works multiple muscle groups in one movement, which fascinated me due to its simplicity and potential.
Moreover, it seemed like something I could manage even at 55.
First deadlift workout
One night in the summer of 2012, I ventured into the free weight area instead of going to the pool, treadmill, or weight machine.
I figured many people wouldn’t be in the weight room at 9 pm.
I took hold of a 45-pound Olympic barbell, stood with it, and practiced my first Romanian deadlifts.
From a standing position, I lowered the barbell to just below my knees with the best form possible and then stood back up, carefully keeping my back flat.
I added a little weight and repeated the process.
I had read that mastering the hip hinge is crucial for performing a deadlift safely.
A hip hinge involves bending and lowering the barbell by pushing your hips back.
Since I had previously thrown out my back and had a torn left meniscus, I wanted to use the best form possible to prevent another injury.
For about 20 minutes, I practiced Romanian deadlifts.
Then, I put ten-pound bumper plates on each side of the barbell while it was on the floor.
Ten-pound bumper plates are the same circumference as a 45-pound weight but are much lighter and made of rubber.
With two bumper plates, I was ready for my first deadlift from the floor.
Was I self-conscious and anxious about lifting free weights?
Absolutely.
What right did I have to be in a weight room where athletes, bodybuilders, basketball players, and powerlifters train?
But, on the other hand, what right did I have not to allow myself to look and feel better, no matter how embarrassing it might be?
Immediate Results
After an hour at the gym practicing the deadlift, I felt physically and mentally better than I could remember.
When I walked out of the Y that evening, I realized that no antidepressant I had ever used gave me the same boost in mood.
After that deadlift workout, I felt so good that I didn’t want to get my favorite muffin, cookie, or ice cream.
Instead, I wanted to eat real food and go deadlift the next day.
However, there was a small problem—I could barely walk!
My entire body was sore, but it was the right type of soreness, indicating that I had activated muscles that had been dormant for decades.
The aches persisted, and it wasn’t until a week later that I could return for another session of deadlifts!
Six Months Later
After six months of deadlifting once or twice a week, doing pushups every other day, and changing over from processed to real food on a daily basis, I dropped 75 pounds.
I was as shocked as anyone else.
Read my about page for more details on my eureka moment which led me to give up processed foods for real foods, and it’s magical benefits.
I looked and felt better than I had in decades.
Even using hair dye did not help me look or feel better.
I still could not do squats, but I was getting closer.
My 50-inch waist magically deflated to 32 inches, and I bought a suit off the rack to celebrate.
Even better, I slowly stopped using antidepressants and started to feel more optimistic about the future.
I imagined that wherever life would take me, I wanted to show up as the best version of myself possible.
Nine Years Later
I still deadlift once or twice a week.
Those weeks when I cannot deadlift, because of injury or weather, I feel the difference fast.
Up till 2019, I was 170 to 175 pounds (70 – 77kg except for one difficult period when I got sloppy and regained 40 pounds.)
However, I dropped down to 154 lbs in April 2019 because I needed emergency pyeloplasty surgery to save my life.
From a simple blood test, my doctor discovered that my kidneys were failing because of a congenital UPJ obstruction of my left kidney.
Since the surgery, my weight has been 160 pounds; I lost a lot of muscle and strength during the 3 to 4 month recovery time.
I did not know if I could ever deadlift again.
But thankfully, I am and getting stronger with time.
Tip: Know what your GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is and drink at least 2 liters of water a day for kidney health.
How the Deadlift Changed My Life
It is true that popping a pill is a lot easier than doing exercise for depression, but look at how exercise could help you (as it helped me):
- accelerate weight loss
- beat obesity
- achieve an ideal weight for your height
- normalize blood pressure
- lower cholesterol
- reverse type 2 diabetes
- build muscle
- increase testosterone
- change your body from obese to fit
- look more like an athlete than a jelly donut
- improve your mobility
- build confidence
- walk taller
- move easier
- look better in a suit
- strengthen your leg muscles, as deadlifting did for me around my torn meniscus
- get agile enough to start squats
- boost your mood
- manage depression without antidepressants
- stop suicidal thinking which is a great relief
- rebuild your body and life
How to Change Your Life
Today, 40 percent of the US adult population is obese.
And another 35 percent is overweight.
And, 17.3 million adults, 7 percent of the US population struggle with depression.
Close to 9% of adult females and 5.5% of men grapple with depressive episodes. ²
The most striking statistic is that 60% of those affected by depression receive no treatment! ²
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children above age 10, teenagers, and adults up to age 34.
And suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adults from ages 35 to 54.³
Over 47,000 Americans died by suicide in 2017, double the number of homicides in that same year.
Although it is not a pleasant topic to discuss, we must help ourselves, family and friends find a treatment that works.
You might fall into the overweight, or obese category of adults since 75% of the US population are in the same boat.
Depression is less prevalent, but there is a plan for you if you need help and are not getting it.
Hopefully, you never have and will never know anyone with suicidal ideation, but if you do, there is still hope to escape its grip.
There is an alternative path to combat obesity and its related conditions, which includes depression.
Antidepressants do not work for everybody.
Millions of people have treatment-resistant depression.
But, even if you have treatment-resistant depression, you can still boost your mood naturally, and change your life.
Is There a Best Exercise for Depression?
You might hate deadlifting but love swimming or running.
The best exercise for depression is the one you enjoy and stick to.
For me, I found that deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and pushups, along with real food, changed my body and life in ways that I could never have imagined.
I’m not special.
If the modification of lifestyle habits could help me, it can certainly help you.
For me, the deadlift worked and still works wonders.
I still deadlift once or twice a week.
I do not deadlift much weight after surgery (yet 🙂 but do enough to stay fit.
You do not have to deadlift heavy to change your body.
Yes, if you want to compete in powerlifting or the world deadlift championships, you will need to increase the weight you lift.
But for general fitness, you do not need to lift super heavy.
Be consistent and add weight gradually beyond your comfort zone, and compete against yourself, your body.
That is all you have to do to lose weight and look and feel better than ever.
Maybe deadlifting will work for you, or perhaps you will find other fitness activities such as;
are better depression-coping exercises.
No matter what, you have to start moving daily, doing something that you love, and eating real food, and you can change your life.
How to Get Started as a Deadlift Beginner
#1. Learn 5 simple ways to lose 20 pounds in 3 months without suffering, simple lifestyle habits you can use for the rest of your life
#2. Understand the most important muscle groups worked by the deadlift
#3. Get familiar with the fantastic deadlift benefits for your mind and body
#4. Use this beginner deadlift workout routine
#5. And this 12-week beginner deadlift program
#6. When you have lost enough weight, work up to 100 pushups a day or more, or use this 30-minute beginner bodyweight workout 2 or 3 times a week.
#7. Add a squat workout to unleash your fitness even further.
Best Exercise for Depression – Final Thoughts
Does exercise help depression?
By now you know there is no question that it does, and my experience is that deadlifting (and probably any other full-body compound training) is the best exercise to beat depression.
I still imagine myself at Wolffers estate, in the vineyard, working on my field, a work in progress, but every season, I learn more and am committed to producing the best wine possible.
Are you hungry for change and salvation from your depression or obesity?
Then find your best exercise to beat depression and obesity, and you will succeed in soon celebrating your new health, fitness, and lease on life.
I recommend the deadlift.
What’s Next
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Footnotes
¹ The Benefits of Exercise for the Clinically Depressed – US National Library of Medicine
² National Institute of Mental Health 2019 depression statistics
² Ibid
³ National Institute of Mental Health 2019 suicide statistics
