Resistance (exercise) is far from futile

With apologies to Mr. Spock, it turns out that he was wrong about resistance. It’s far from futile. A review out of the University of Limerick says that if you’re depressed or anxious, resistance exercises effectively ease those feelings. The researchers looked at 12 studies and concluded that resistance exercise provides measurable emotional benefits, likely from their impact on blood circulation and neural firing in the brain and from the increase in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) that they trigger. (IGF-1 is a hormone that affects bone and muscle growth.)

Depression and anxiety are difficult to treat. Johns Hopkins Medicine says that depressive symptoms return for up to 33% of people using antidepressants and a study in Mental Health Clinician found that about 50% of folks with generalized anxiety disorder don’t see positive results from initial treatment with antidepressants. Resistance exercises using your body weight and stretchy/ resistance bands offer a good alternative.

According to Harvard Health, one study found that 10 weeks of body-weight exercises by folks who haven’t been doing resistance exercise improves aerobic capacity by 33%, core muscle endurance by 11% and lower-body power by 6%. That’ll raise your spirits! And a 2019 study found that resistance-band training is equivalent to using conventional gym equipment.

So, if you’re dealing with depression or anxiety, try 20-30 minutes of resistance training twice weekly. To enhance its effectiveness, adopt a non-inflammatory nutrition plan at Longevityplaybook. com and consider boosting your protein intake with a whey supplement. Check out iherb.com’s blog, “Should You Supplement with Protein? Here are 3 Key Benefits.”