Can-do Attitude

There is a well-established link between exercise involvement and reduction in depression, but why does that reduction occur? According to a recent study of 19 women suffering from depression, exercise gives participants greater feelings of “self-efficacy”; that is, they believe that they can control the stressful situations they find themselves in.

These feelings came from five contributing factors:

1. Making a commitment to improve physical health.
2. Learning health-related coping skills.
3. Setting small, attainable goals, which gave confidence.
4. Learning to self-manage actions by doing exercises independently at home.
5. Seeing themselves as people who could create positive impact in their own lives, rather than just being victims of depression.