Exercise is the Most Under Used Anti-depressant Out There

I am living proof that exercise is the best medicine for when you're feeling really crappy!

Four years ago my child came into this world very premature and with a disability. After months of running back and forth to Saskatoon , not knowing what the future would hold and feeling like I was going crazy, I took the plunge.

As I entered the doctor's office my stomach was in knots. Was I really going to ask to be medicated?

Yes! Yes I was. I just had to do something to make me feel better. As the doctor took my blood pressure, heart rate, etc he said the words, “Danielle, get back to the gym!”

What? How the heck can I get back to the gym? I have a three year old at home, a baby in NICU in Saskatoon and a home to take care of, not to mention the worry of the financial burden we had weighing on us.

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My doctor stated what I already knew; that exercise is the natural way to release endorphins which are our body's own feel good hormones. Endorphins counteract adrenaline, the chemicals in our bodies that lead to stress. He asked me to give it one month and if that didn't help, we would talk again.

I sat in my car crying for almost an hour and then pulled myself together and walked into the gymjn. It felt good as I looked around and realized what I was missing; the one thing I had control over; me! Self motivated exercise is the best medicine anyone can give themselves. That's when I realized that I can't dependon others to make me be or do something. I have to do it for me!

It's all about you. Believe in yourself and you will be better than you ever imagined. ME is important. I was a person even with the obstacles before me. Do I still get those crappy feelings once in a while? Yes. But, when I do I lift, run and pray.

I never thanked my doctor but now I will. Thank you for giving me the greatest gift – fitness.

Remember though: this is what has helped me , everyone is different but if haven't given exercise a try and you have those crappy feeling inside you, then  please take my advice and believe in yourself.

This is Danielle Carter  for 4horsemenfitness.com