Don't Be A Couch Potato

By Author: Steven Johnson
Total Articles: 490
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When you begin to find the world a little frightening, there's a terrible temptation to hide yourself away. It feels safer to stay home, take up residence on that couch or lie down for long periods of time. The growing volume of scientific research is now showing this a bad move. Exercise is good for you both physically and emotionally. If we go back to the early days of the last century, there was a heavy reliance on the idea of physical exercise. Schools and colleges were basing their time allocation on the old Roman principle Mens sana in corpore sano, a healthy mind in a healthy body. This meant everyone having regular exercise. We might smile at Asian cultures, but their work days often start with all the employees (including senior officers) going through exercise routines. This matches the general observation that people who exercise regularly are better motivated and less often depressed.

About the turn of this century, Duke University began a series of trials where the major anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants were measured against groups of participants who went through programs of guided exercise. The researchers ...
... arrived at the embarrassing findings that people who only exercised made as quick a recovery as those who relied on the drugs. There was no doubt about the statistics. The exercisers' and the drug-takers' recovery rates were identical. There are two major reasons why this research was not very well publicized. First, the drug manufacturers put pressure on Duke University to release the findings without any publicity. Second, the research community correctly pointed out that the research was only for short periods of time and did not have many participants. To be able to predict how the majority of the population would react, research studies must be carefully designed to pick a significant number of participants with the right characteristics, and the studies must last a sufficient period of time to show the range of factors that may be affecting the outcome.

Nevertheless, this research has provoked other centers into conducting their own research. The most interesting findings compare the biology of exercise with the effect of the drugs. Both change the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain. When exercising, the brain also releases endorphins and dopamine which make you feel good. People who get into a routine of exercise find their brains full of natural chemicals producing a feeling of wellbeing. This is rather better than the effects of a drug such as Valium. No matter how effective such drugs, they are only designed to be taken for short periods of time. Making a change in your lifestyle to include regular exercise is highly cost effective and produces a more positive mental outlook. If you combine this increase in activity with making more friends and, if necessary, talking through your problems with them or a counselor, your long-term emotional health is bound to improve. This is not to deny a place for Valium. No matter how active you are or supportive your friends and family, anxiety can flare up. A short burst of Valium will put you back on track and have you feeling well enough to begin exercising again.