All posts filed under: Sports Medicine & Healthcare

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Depression and exercise

This post covers exercise prescription for those with depression, how much exercise is required and adherence. It contains excerpted content from Clinical Exercise Physiology, Fifth Edition. Many systematic reviews and meta-analyses have summarized the antidepressant effect of exercise. A meta-review conducted in 2019 concluded across eight individual meta-analyses that exercise reduced depressive symptoms in children, adults, and older adults (1).  Exercise prescription An exercise prescription for people with depression will likely differ little from the prescription used for healthy individuals. Clinicians should be aware, however, that several symptoms of depression (e.g., loss of interest, fatigue, low self-confidence) may interfere with participation in exercise, and that comorbidities can further complicate matters. Training method Frequency Intensity Time (Duration) Type (Mode) Progression Cardiorespiratory 3-5 d/wk Initially moderate, then increased to 70%-80% of heart rate reserve; as tolerated, train at higher end of heart rate range 30-45 min (progress if necessary) Gross motor activities such as walking and biking Begin at lower intensity for markedly deconditioned patients. Gradually progress as tolerated. Resistance 2 or 3 d/wk 10RM-15RMRPE of 11-15 …