Get Started.

I’m so happy you want to start your mental health journey today. Exercise has helped me improve my physical, spiritual, and mental health. I’d like to help you take your first steps into establishing nominal routines that will benefit these facets of your life.

One quick caveat…

Before you start any new exercise or fitness routine you should talk to your doctor. Also, we’re talking about mental health and specifically depression. The first thing to do is check under the hood. Talk with your doctor and run some tests to see if you can find out what’s going on.

Maybe they’ll recommend exercise. If so, I’ll see you right here when you get back. In the meantime, talk to your doctor.

Start Your Mental Health Journey with Movement

Here’s the thing. You can do literally anything as long as it’s moving your body in space. The beginning of my journey into exercise out of depression was hiking PNW trails. For others it may be pickleball. It really doesn’t matter. The place to start is movement.

If you don’t know where to start, here’s my recommendation. 10 minute walks, 3 times a day, 5 days a week. This is a total of a 30 minute commitment per day, 150 minute commitment per week. You can do it!

Do What You Say

If you say you’re going to walk for 10 minutes, walk for 10 minutes. If you say you’re going to play pickleball, play pickleball. Whatever you say you’re going to do, do it.

It’s important to start manifesting a pattern. A pattern that says, “I want to take care of myself, I came up with a plan to take care of myself, and I executed that plan to take care of myself.”

Reap the benefits.

Immediately after exercising, you’ll feel a flush of endorphins as your body begins to recover from the movement.

Hours after, your resting heart rate will lower and you’ll feel more relaxed.

In a few weeks of intentional movement, you’ll notice significant benefits. You’ll notice that you feel better. Resting heart rate will be lower, your bodies ability to adapt to stress will be higher.

You’ll have an increased proclivity to enter a parasympathetic state (resting state) and exit a sympathetic state (fight-or-flight) will be easier.

Science Says…

Exercise Improves depression and anxiety:

“Physical activity is highly beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress across a wide range of adult populations, including the general population, people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people with chronic disease. Physical activity should be a mainstay approach in the management of depression, anxiety and psychological distress.”

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/18/1203

Physical activity Lowers blood pressure:

“The reduction in BP was significant regardless of the participant’s initial BP level, gender, physical activity level, antihypertensive drug intake, type of BP measurement, time of day in which the BP was measured, type of exercise performed, and exercise training program (p < 0.05 for all).”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4914008/

Improves cardiac function

“/…regular exercise and physical activity are associated with remarkable widespread health benefits and a significantly lower CVD risk”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172294/

Any many others!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6027933/