Natural Remedies For Depression

One of the Best Free Natural Remedies for Depression That You Can Do In 10 Minutes Or Less

Which of the following is the most important part of your body in terms of controlling your mood?

• Is it you heart?
• Is it your legs?
• Is it your arms?
• Is it your brain?

If your answer was the brain, then you guessed right. Your brain is the part of your body that regulates certain levels of special substances called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the chemical substances that allow your brain's nerve cells (also known as neurons) to talk to one another. Scientists aren't sure of the reason why, but they know that a breakdown in communication via neurotransmitters is one of the biological causes of depression.

If only there was a way you could reach into your brain somehow and alter those neurotransmitter levels, you might be able to alleviate your depression...

The good news is that there is a way. All you have to do is exercise. Yup, that's right a good run around the block is guaranteed to lift your mood. Or you can play soccer. Or get out the jump rope. These can all serve as natural remedies for depression.

Exercise will make you feel better by altering your neurotransmitter levels...

Your brain has special receptors for substances called opiates, which are substances found in illegal drugs such as cocaine that alleviate pain and create an initial feeling of pleasure. Fortunately, you can accomplish the same thing by increasing the level of endorphins in your body.

Endorphins are neurotransmitters that interact with your brain's opiate receptors to reduce pain and provide a positive emotional boost. You feel better when you stimulate endorphin secretion. Study after study has shown that exercise increases your endorphin levels and make you feel better. In addition, it also decreases the risk of various health problems such as diabetes and cancer.

Now you may find yourself saying that you just don't feel like exercising...

So make it easy on yourself. Don't try running 3 miles if you've never even run half a mile. Start out slow. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further from the entrance to the grocery store so you have to walk a little farther. Go for a 20 minute walk after dinner. You don't have to become an Olympic athlete or a marathon runner. You just have to move a little bit more.

The good news is that it doesn't even take that much time. A study by Dr. Cheryl Hansen of Northern Arizona University looked at a group of women students to see how long they needed to exercise to feel better. It only took 10 minutes of pedaling on a bicycle for the women to start feeling better¹. That's right, it only took 10 minutes. Although the research doesn't point to what type of exercise works best as a natural treatment for depression, it does show that almost any exercise is better than nothing. So even if you feel like you can't do 10 minutes, make it easy on yourself by promising to try some physical activity for a few minutes.

It's easy to begin beating depression.

You just have to move your body. It's free and it doesn't take that long. When you exercise, you'll be releasing feel-good chemicals into your bloodstream. It's one of the best natural remedies for depression and one of the fastest ways to reach into your brain and change your mood.

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