Fitness vs. Pharmaceuticals

Back in the day, maybe 10 years ago there was a commercial for Zoloft, an anti-depressant drug. The main character of the commercial is a little round guy who happens to be incredibly melancholy. Like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh melancholy. I'm pretty sure that there was actually a rain cloud over his head.

That was me. . .rain cloud and all. I was soaking wet all time, and not in a good way. Depression was coming back into my life and I had to make a decision of how I wanted to deal with it. It seemed like my only option to fight this storm was to turn to prescription drugs. To start an anti-depressant, which I had been on before and struggled to come off of.

I didn't want to go down that path again. The road to recovery was a dense jungle. I needed a machete to fight my way through last time, and I ended up breaking a nail! I was not prepared for a second fight. Instead, I did some research, decided that I would battle this round of depression on my own. That is when I started my fitness journey.

"Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't kill their husbands, they just don't!" -Elle Woods

While there are definitely still days that I want to kill my husband, Elle Woods was correct about a few things. Exercise does give you endorphins and endorphins do make you happy.

Exercise is one of the most under utilized anti-depression remedies in the country. Now, I'm not a doctor and I understand that there are many conditions where anti-depressants are beneficial. However, I am also not in the business of pharmaceuticals (though I would be much richer if I were) and I have suffered the side effects of anti-depressants. If possible I believe a natural approach is beneficial.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found in the body that is thought to help control happiness. I use the word "thought because the brain is still a mystery. . .a lot like women. Most anti-depressants are designed to increase the amount of serotonin the body takes in, which in turn would alter ones mood to happier state.

Sounds great right? Take some magic beans and climb the bean stalk to grab the goose that lays the golden eggs! Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The most common side effect of many anti-depressants is increased thoughts of suicide. I don't know about you but that does sound like happy cupcakes and unicorns to me. Not to mention the less serious side effects of; weight gain, insomnia, nausea, and lowered sex drive. Sounds like a lose, lose situation. And from my personal experience, it was.

Exercise is completely different. The hardest part of exercising is getting up and doing it, and the worst side effect is sweating! No, it isn't as easy as swallowing a pill, most things worth doing aren't. But I promise the outcome is definitely worth it.

Studies have shown that physical activity, i.e. exercise, increases the amount of serotonin your body produces and absorbs. Much like the anti-depressant. (For all you horn dogs out there, yes, sex is considered physical activity. No, it is not the type I'm referring to now. I will cover that in a later post.) The more serotonin your body is producing and absorbing, the happier you are.

There are other benefits to exercising as well; increased physical health, weight loss, higher energy levels, better sleep, and boosted confidence. These are all GOOD side effects of physical fitness. Plus, there are many different types of exercises to choose from. You don't have to keep it vanilla. Running, cycling, weight lifting, pilates, yoga. If you want to kick it up a notch you can even combine different workouts such as PiYo (pilates and yoga). The possibilities are endless. . .and so are the results!

Take it from someone who has traveled both roads, fitness is the better of the two. If you are at a point in your life where you are struggling to see the sunlight of each day, make a conscious decision to give physical fitness a try. I promise it will change your life for the better, in more ways than one.