Exercise is one of the most important benefactors to a healthy lifestyle. Not only does exercise help shed excess fat, but it also promotes creative think, stimulates the body with endorphins, and actually helps fight depression among many other diseases.

Depression generally causes a persistent low mood, lack of interest in what was once an enjoyable activity, feelings of worthlessness and an overall shortage of energy. Today, this widespread disease affects almost 350 million people throughout the world and nearly 18 million people in the United States.

When analyzing depression and exercise, recent studies have shown high success rates with those who exercised compared to those who didn’t.

“More recently, in a similar study in 2015, Swedish scientists assigned 946 patients with mild to moderate depression to one of three 12-week treatments: thrice-weekly sessions of yoga, aerobics or strength training; Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy; or standard counseling plus medication. Patients in all groups improved, but those engaging in exercise experienced the greatest benefits. Internet-based therapy came in as a close runner-up…” Ferris Jabr explains in Scientific American Mind.

If you’re someone who has suffered or is currently suffering from depression, do not fret – there is a natural way to overcome this widespread disease. Here is some more information you need to know about exercise as an anti-depressant.

Why?

Before committing to something, I’m sure you want to know the “why.” Exercise offers a number of benefits: a release of endorphins, improvement in mood, time for self-reflection, increase in self-esteem, reduced symptoms of depression; the list goes on and on. Scientific American Mind further expands on the science behind these benefits:

“The second you start running, pedaling or lifting a dumbbell, your body’s chemistry begins to change. Exercise boosts your heart rate, sending blood, oxygen, hormones and neurochemicals surging through the body. In the moment, the body responds to exercise as a kind of stress – but it is ultimately beneficial…”

Writer Ferris Jabr goes on to explain that “The better the body becomes at dealing with stressors of all kinds, the lower the risk of depressive episode. In fact, many researchers think of depression as a disorder of managing stress.”

What?

Realistically speaking, any type of exercise is better than no exercise. As long as you’re getting out there and bettering yourself, you’re already winning.

However, workouts that have a higher intensity are usually the best kind of workouts for fighting depression, releasing endorphins, seeing physical improvements and so on. Running, a type of high-intensity workout, “causes lasting changes in our ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, both during and after exercise,” Ben Michaelis, PhD, explains.

If you think running is too much for you, try going for a walk. The idea is simply to get your body moving because of the mental and physical benefits that exercising has to offer.

Where?

Anywhere. The beauty of exercise is that you can literally do it anywhere: your house, the street, a gym, a track, etc. You can use nearly anything too: a stack of books, jugs of water, your own body weight, etc.

That said, there is no excuse for not exercising!

For how long?

Some experts believe that it’s too soon to identify a certain amount of time that should be dedicated to working out. However, committing 3-5 days a week to some form of exercise is highly recommended. Obviously, the longer you commit to your workout, the more results you’ll see. However, you don’t want to kill your body. Try aiming for 3-5 days a week and 45 minute sessions.