Can Running "Cure" Depression and Anxiety??

No doubt about it, these are tough times.  Fear and uncertainty about the future, economic stress, job loss - all of these factors are contributing to an ever-increasing rate of depression and anxiety.  But it just may be that for women runners, there's good news.

Researchers at the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia induced anxiety on study subjects by administering large doses of caffeine (800 mg, equivalent to about eight cups of coffee), and then observed various physiologic and mood parameters after the subjects either rested for an hour in a quiet room or exercised (60 minutes of stationary cycling at 60% VO2 max).

The moderately intense exercise was about three times as effective in reducing symptoms and perceptions of anxiety. Although regular, meditative rest may serve an important function in stress reduction, the role of exercise in relieving everyday anxieties should not be underestimated. Next time you feel anxiety getting the better of you, hit the road for relief.

- From the American Running and Fitness Association; The Gale Group

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