Exercise
My own personal experience has shown what the clinical literature has long suggested: Regular exercise is the basis for stable mental and physical function. I support any form of exercise that people enjoy and tolerate so that they can dependably maintain a regimen. The discipline and commitment to an exercise program is a key part of the foundation for improvements in mental health. I personally believe that exercising outdoors away from televisions and music and in the weather is the most beneficial and invigorating type of work. We are fortunate to live in one of the most treasured and beautiful places on earth and are energized and renewed every time we go out into nature as hikers, runners, bikers, dog walkers. Simply being exposed to sunlight has antidepressant action. Commercial light boxes used to treat seasonal affective disorder generate 10,000 lux compared to ordinary indoor lighting that produces a few hundred lux. Sunshine generates 100,000 lux and even on a cloudy day we experience 30,000 lux from the sun. Aerobic exercise in which your heart rate is elevated to 80% of the theoretical maximum has been shown to be the most valuable form of exercise in the treatment of depression. Improving muscle tone and core strength through exercise such as yoga is essential to well-being for people of all ages. Life can be hard and gravity is a relentless force. Learning to breathe, stand, bend and walk with ease and comfort is a gift. As BKS Iyengar said: “You are only as old as your spine”. Patients with anxiety disorders benefit enormously from the discipline and self awareness that comes with regular yoga practice. Many people with panic disorder are uncomfortable in their own bodies. I can think of no better remedy than a regular yoga practice. I personally practice Ashtanga yoga several times a week along with Iyengar yoga and after a few years am a reliable novice. There are no other activities that I do that provide me with the serenity and strength that I get from yoga and can only hope that patients will discover the same peace of mind and body that I have found in that practice. I recommend that people who have never practiced yoga start with a beginning series and avoid heated yoga classes.