Did you know that approximately 13% of adults with severe obesity have a major depressive disorder and almost 20% have some form of anxiety disorder? Obesity affects not only our physical health, but our mental health as well. Sedentary persons do not receive the same volume of endorphins that an active person may receive. Endorphins are important chemicals in your brain that play a key role in delivering a sense of euphoria. Because they react to stress/eustress stimuli, moderate physical activity can trigger the release of endorphins.
A study found in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, found that as little as 8 minutes of moderate activity per day can reduce the odds of treatment for depression/anxiety by 92% in obese patients scheduled to undergo weight-loss surgery! Similarly, less strenuous activity can reduce the odds of required treatment by 81%. Imagine: Just taking 4,750 steps in one day can reduce your odds of needing depression treatment! If the average person’s walking stride is 2.5 feet and if the average sedentary person takes 1,000-3,000 steps per day, we’re only talking as much as a quarter mile!
Adding a quarter mile to your day is much easier than it sounds. For example did you know that one city block is about 1/8 of a mile long? This means you only need to add 2 city blocks to your day in order to reduce your chances of needing treatment for depression.
Make sure that you take care of your mental health as well as your physical health as certain mental health issues can have a negative impact on long-term surgically induced weight loss.
Contact oBand Centers today to find out other ways you can treat depression and anxiety before weight-loss surgery.