Interesting read.
What is the relation of depression to a fitness and nutrition blog? These three things are intimately connected.
Exercise and nutrition are directly linked to depression, both in observational studies and by models. Probable ingredients necessary to fuel depression include:
*lack of sunlight
*lack of activity, in particular, intense activity
*excess carbohydrate intake
*any of a number of vitamin deficiencies
*chronic lack of sleep (leading to a the insomnia-depression reinforcing loop)
*chronic stressors accelerate all of the above
Considerations for prevention/cure:
*exercise hard and short. Start with Tabata intervals, up to five days per week: Work for 20s/rest for 10s. Start with four intervals of work, and increase to eight intervals over time. Add some version of strength training. Train the least amount necessary, not the most possible, unless you really enjoy the training.
*reduce carbs to a max of 100g/day, by eliminating grains, legumes, most dairy, sugar drinks, and with a limit of one serving of fruit daily. Use a glucose meter to help identify those foods that make your blood sugars go high, and eliminate or reduce them
*get some sun on your skin every day (mid-day sun needed during fall/winter)
*get some sun in your eyes, unaltered by sunglasses, daily (no, this does not mean "look at the sun")
*get tested for vitamin D levels and take action according to the results
*increase your interaction with real people - not virtual ones
*decrease TV time, decrease alcohol intake, and substitute activities like writing or socializing. People need positive human contact to feel good. In one study, people who spent fifteen minutes a day writing about the most painful experiences in their lives drastically shifted their mortality curves compared to a control group - writing can be powerful therapy. Start with 60s/day, and set a goal to increase towards the 15 minutes/day
Lastly - do what you already know works for you, perhaps with some supplementation from the list above.
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