Exercise is Medicine

Research shows that exercise is helpful in relieving anxiety and depression symptoms. It increases endorphin and dopamine activity in the brain, helping you feel calm and providing an overall improved sense of well-being. It does require an investment of time and some amount of discipline, but it offers very little side effect risk except for those that may be beneficial to one’s overall health and self-esteem.

A prescription for exercise includes 3-5 weekly sessions for approximately 30-45 minutes each session. The goal would be to get a collective 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

There are two basic ways to measure exercise intensity – by how you feel and by measuring your heart rate.

Moderate exercise intensity
Moderate activity feels somewhat hard. Here are clues that your exercise intensity is at a moderate level:

• Your breathing quickens, but you’re not out of breath.

• You develop a light sweat after about 10 minutes of activity.

• You can carry on a conversation, but you can’t sing.
  

The basic way to calculate your maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220.
(For example, for a 38 year old: 220 – 38 = 182. This is the maximum heart rate.)

Once you know your maximum heart rate, you can calculate your desired target heart rate zone — the level at which your heart is being exercised and conditioned but not overworked.

Moderate exercise intensity: 50 to about 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
(For example: 50% of 182 = 91 and 70% of 182 is about 127.
So for moderate exercise intensity in this 38 year old, she would want to keep her heart rate between 91 and 127)

Exercise should not hurt. Ensure you are cleared by your primary care provider before engaging in an exercise regimen.