Exercise is especially important if you have major depressive disorder (MDD). It can help improve your mood, sleep, and confidence.

Antidepressants, counseling, and other therapies can be effective treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it’s also important to make lifestyle changes, such as establishing an exercise routine.

It can be difficult to begin a workout routine when you are feeling depressed. But if you take baby steps with simple activities and gradually increase your intensity, you may notice improvements in your mental and physical health.

Here are some of the benefits of exercise for MDD, as well as tips on getting started.

When you engage in physical activity, your brain responds by increasing the production of endorphins. Endorphins are brain chemicals that are associated with positive mood and overall well-being.

Regular physical activity can also stimulate your brain’s production of dopamine and serotonin. These are neurotransmitters that help regulate your mood and emotions. Low levels of these chemicals may be linked to depression and anxiety, but research is mixed.

A 2023 study found that exercise can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are molecules produced by the immune system that promote inflammation. Increased levels of inflammation have been associated with depression.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that most adults obtain at least 7 hours of sleep. If you have depression, you may have difficulty meeting this amount.

Regular exercise can help regulate your circadian rhythm, which can be altered in individuals with depression. It may also improve your sleep patterns, which can stabilize your mood and energy levels in turn.

A 2022 review of studies in individuals with MDD found that those who exercised regularly reported better sleep quality, especially those who engaged in moderate-intensity exercise for 150 minutes per week. However, the researchers stated that more high quality studies are needed to draw a definitive conclusion.

Tips for improving sleep

Setting up your room to be conducive to sleep can help you sleep better. For our team’s recommendations, check out this article on how to create the bedroom of your dreams.

You can only focus on one thought at a time. If you’re feeling down and need to refocus your thoughts, exercise can help reduce negative feelings and stop your negative thinking, at least for the duration of the workout.

During your workout, you can listen to music, podcasts, and audiobooks to help redirect your focus from any negative thoughts.

While it can be hard to get started, you may experience more positive emotions after a workout session. At the very least, you can feel accomplished for completing a workout.

Beginning an exercise routine can change your mental outlook, but this isn’t the only thing it changes. Exercise also causes physical changes to your body.

Activity can help you lose excess weight, build muscle tone, and improve your overall physical appearance. And whether you realize it or not, these changes to your body can have a powerful impact on your mental health.

Improving your self-image helps you feel stronger and more confident, and raises your self-esteem.

Starting an exercise plan may feel intimidating at first. However, it doesn’t have to be rigid or complicated. It only takes a small amount of activity to notice a difference in your mindset and attitude.

The CDC recommends that adults obtain at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, plus 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity. While this can feel like a lot at first, you can work your way up to this amount.

Here are few simple tips to get moving with MDD:

1. Break up workouts into 10-minute sessions

Sometimes, you don’t have the time to work out continuously for 30 minutes per day. That’s perfectly OK — life can get busy. Instead of seeing it as an all-or-nothing situation, you can split up the 30 minutes into three 10-minute blocks.

It can also be beneficial to break up the total amount of time if you are just starting out or haven’t exercised in a long time.

For instance, you can spend 10 minutes on an activity in the morning before work, walk for 10 minutes on your lunch break, and then exercise for 10 minutes after dinner.

2. Get an exercise buddy

Working out with a friend or relative can be effective, as you become accountable to another person. An exercise buddy can motivate you to stick with a regular routine, and together, you can encourage each other.

It can be as simple as walking and talking together with a friend, or joining a run club in your area.

3. Find fun activities

There’s no rule that says you need to run a marathon to lose weight or improve your mental health. As long as you’re incorporating some form of movement, you’re on the right track.

Plus, you’re more likely to stick with something you genuinely enjoy. This way, exercise doesn’t feel like a chore.

4. Be kind to yourself

Developing an exercise routine may not come easily to you, and that is perfectly OK. Nobody is perfect. If you end up missing a day here and there, don’t beat yourself up.

Be proud of yourself for all of the progress you have made, and remind yourself that tomorrow is a new day.

Exercise can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health. Regardless of whether you’re on antidepressants or using other therapy for MDD, it is still important to maintain regular physical activity.

It is important to note that exercise is not a replacement for any treatments your doctor has prescribed. Talk with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine.