Look after yourself
Exercise is good not only for the body but also for the mind. Analyses pooling hundreds of studies show that it reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, and depression is less common among people who are regularly active. This guide explains which exercise helps, how much, and how to do it. Exercise does not replace treatment; it complements it.
In a review covering 97 systematic reviews and 1,039 studies, physical activity reduced depression, anxiety and psychological distress in many groups. The clearest benefits were seen in people with depression, pregnant and postpartum women, healthy adults, and people with HIV or kidney disease.
In the depression analysis, the effect was similar in people with and without other illnesses, and in those with mild and severe symptoms.
Depression
The analysis published in the BMJ in 2024 compared each type of exercise with control groups. The longer the bar, the greater the reduction in symptoms of depression.
Anxiety
A primary care trial in Sweden enrolled 286 people with anxiety disorders; half had lived with anxiety for at least ten years. For 12 weeks, participants joined 60-minute group exercise sessions three times a week, guided by a physiotherapist. Each session combined a warm-up, a 45-minute circuit of cardio and strength stations, and finished with stretching.
How much?
Even people doing half the recommended amount had an 18% lower risk of depression. According to the World Health Organization, any amount of activity is better than none.
For adults, the target is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week. That is 30 minutes of brisk walking on five days of the week; build up to it gradually.
Effects were larger with moderate and vigorous exercise. Start at a comfortable pace and speed up a little over time.
For less severe depression, the UK guideline lists group exercise more than once a week for 10 weeks, with a trained practitioner, among the treatment options. The anxiety programme lasted 12 weeks. After that, make movement a habit.
Tiredness and losing interest in things you used to enjoy are common in depression, so starting can feel hard. This is not a matter of willpower. Small, concrete and enjoyable steps make it easier.
Exercises at home
Chosen from the types that showed the most benefit in research: walking and moving to music, strength training and yoga. Try the strength movements on at least two days a week and walking on the other days. Skip any movement that makes your pain worse.
Wearing comfortable shoes, walk at a pace at which you can talk but would struggle to sing. Let your arms swing freely. If you can, walk outdoors, along a tree-lined path or in a park.
Start with 10 minutes; build up to 20–30 minutes a dayPut on an upbeat song you like. Step to the side with one foot and bring the other alongside it, then go the other way. Add your arms too. There is no right or wrong; what matters is keeping the rhythm.
For 1–2 songsSit towards the front of a sturdy chair. Lean forward slightly and stand up without using your arms, then sit down slowly. Increase the number of repetitions as it gets easier.
10 reps, 2–3 setsStand an arm’s length from a wall and place your hands on it at chest height. Keep your body straight; bend your elbows to bring yourself towards the wall, then push away. When it gets easy, make it harder by placing your hands on a kitchen worktop.
10 reps, 2–3 setsGet on your hands and knees. As you breathe out, round your back towards the ceiling; as you breathe in, let your lower back sink gently. Move with your breath, without rushing.
8–10 repsFrom your hands and knees, slowly move your hips back towards your heels, with your arms stretched out in front. Rest your forehead on the floor or a cushion. Breathe slowly in and out through your nose. Skip it if your knees hurt.
30–60 seconds, 2–3 timesFor tense moments, the 5-minute cyclic sighing breath and What can you do in stressful moments? pages, and for measuring your weekly activity, the How much activity is enough? page, may help.
In less severe depression, exercise is one of the recommended options. In moderate and severe depression, therapy and medication are usually recommended, and exercise can be added to them. In research, exercise was also effective when combined with medication or therapy. Don’t stop your medication on your own; talk to your doctor about any change.
The group programme recommended in the UK guideline lasted 10 weeks, and the anxiety trial’s programme 12 weeks. Judge the result after several weeks of regular exercise. In the meantime, even a single brisk walk can help clear your mind.
Start very small: a 10-minute walk, or moving for the length of one song. Light exercise works too. Decide in advance when you will do it and, if you can, do it with someone. Don’t be hard on yourself about the days you can’t manage; pick up where you left off the next day.
Walking or jogging, yoga and strength training stood out in research. But the best exercise is one you enjoy and can do regularly. Fewer people dropped out of yoga and strength training.
Sources
®