Can exercise really help depression?
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS
Exercise is a genuine treatment: for mild to moderate depression, regular aerobic exercise performs comparably to medication in trials, and it adds to any other treatment. Strength training helps too. The dose that shows results is roughly 150 minutes a week, but benefits start far lower.
The catch is that depression attacks the starting. Shrink the entry: ten minutes of walking counts, done beats optimal, and company helps.
Exercise complements rather than replaces professional care in serious depression, and stopping prescribed antidepressants is a decision made with the prescriber, never alone. For hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm, seek help now, not a training plan.
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If you are buying a fitness tracker
Step count and resting heart rate are the two numbers that matter, and any major-brand band tracks both well. You do not need the expensive model to walk more.
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