Conquering Depression and Anxiety through Exercise - Book Report/Review Example

Conquering Depression and Anxiety through Exercise Keith Johnsgard is one clinical psychologist who discovered that most Americans that is out of every two suffer from some mental disorders like depression. These makes most of them look for measures to cope where an excellent number turn to binge eating habits, heavy drinking and smoking. By these, he meant that, they treat the poor habits of mental reactions with unhealthier physical practices that worsen their living. These made him propose better solutions of exercises. He defended these that it not only helps to improve the physical well-being, but stabilize the state of the mind. He says from experience. At seventy, Keith still does exercises and has discovered that besides weight loss and streamlining ones physical fitness, exercise has helped him stabilize his mental outlook. It has helped him reduce the symptoms of depression, acted as psychotherapy. Besides, it is one drug with positive side effects. Johnsgard offers hope to people that it is never too late. Even at old age, people still get some diseases and only with the help of exercises it can work wonders to cause satisfaction to them. It is now time that everyone laces up their sneakers and come out to jog, dust off the bike helmets and rush for a spin, stretch, hold and breathe, or even go swimming. The writer provides an example of Sam, who continued gaining weight with every diet and lifestyle he wanted. Sam did a good number of activities but did not seem to benefit him at any rate because he was already obese and diabetic in that more exercises phone him to fast heart and respiratory rates. Instead, he chose to take drugs instead of monitoring the diet. The drugs would help suppress his appetite, lower his cholesterol level and blood pressure but could not afford giving up on food. Sam (1993) got a lot of frustrations to the point of wanting to commit suicide. These were because he was always at logger's heads with friends, his family and could not even keep a relationship. He decided that he would let himself die without death but exercise. These made him devise a plan of running every morning uphill, by these, he hoped to run and after a fall, he would be found dead and the world would bury him. Fortunately, the dawn broke, and he put on his sneakers, ran towards the hills and fell down. Later, He found himself breathing with muscle cramps on his legs. He dashed back to the house and waited for the next day where he repeated the same event. At these times, his heart rate beat very fast, he later discovered that his next trial to death had again failed, and these made him conclude that he would never die. He then gained a sense of life in himself and joined and began talking with other walkers and runners in the parking area and got pieces of advice on how to live healthily. Nietzsche (2000), on the other hand, stated that nothing comes easy or in a silver platter. He discovered these after months of vigorous and regular exercises in the swampy, muddy and thick melancholy. He further concluded that, with the effort to attain fitness, it does not only affect how people feel but act as a prevention rate to depression and despair that comes with extreme stress. Question Two The book tried to emphasize a bit on diet in the story of Sam. Sam found exercises difficult for him and was, therefore, advised to try balancing his diet because these would act the same way exercise would. By these, his adviser meant that, he would be in a position to cut down much of the fatty foods and would in turn reduce the deposits of cholesterol on the arteries. He was made to understand that the facts narrow the blood flow to major organs like the heart, kidney and chest. With a balanced diet minus exercise, it would help him leave comfortable and prevent the complaints of high blood pressures and fast respiratory rates. These made him understand clearly why his heart and chest would beat so fast and heavily. However, the book did not narrate clearly on what type of diet Sam would put into consideration in as much as he was not ready to give up food for a healthy body. Instead, he chose to go on drugs that worked the same way in reducing the cholesterol level and blood pressure besides suppressing his appetite. To a great extent, Conquering Depression and Anxiety through Exercise, emphasizes the importance of activities. These are explained clearly by the author Keith, when he narrated how activities helped him from as early as fifties. Today at his seventies, he still encourage others that age matters not. He emphasizes that the exercise is one of the priceless drug to anyone at any time. They come with significant benefits both of physical fitness and mental stability. These became evident with a practical example when Sam began exercising after he hoped that it would make him die. But to a rude shock, he still lived and became physically fit where everyone began complementing on his healthy body. These to a great extent motivated him even more and saw him live a happy life thereafter to help others. Nietzsche also seconded these when he said that nothing in life comes easy. He said it from experience, and these made him remember how he trailed in the muddy and swampy road to earning him his fitness and balance in the mind. The topic is more of scientific evidence. The author Keith draws his conclusion from the research done in a lifetime in the field of sports psychology and scientific studies. These brought out clearly that, exercise can indeed enhance one's mental outlook. With evidence, comes, Sam’s, and the very own Keith’s confession, that it indeed worked the miracle of fitness and helped them settle mentally. The topic, therefore, has some scientific basis, some room for evidence-based practice. The book is to a great extent educative. These are because it is sensitizing on the importance of exercises. The fact that people use a heavy load of money to go for treatment, it gives an easy way, the cheapest type of treatment for those faced with obesity and diabetes. The author mentioned that there is no need to use the money and instead, if one is on sneakers, they are useful to start the therapy that has all the positive side effects. Question Three Personally, I used to see exercise as a form of punishment. But now that Keith has mentioned and it has a lot of benefits, the topic is worth provoking. I will try out some lessons on my own to see if I will be in a position to cut down some fats. These will be so because I am obese and my basal metabolic index has proved it. Yes, the author seems credible. He has gone to miles of giving working examples. These will give a leeway, and I will be able to recommend to a classmate and urge them to read and information. The advice will be on the importance of the priceless technique of weight loss. With these, together we can reach out to help the society reduce cases of obesity and their complications of blood pressures and heart attacks. Question Four To me, the book is a motivator and would use the tips of outside exercising. It does not only require me to attend the gym for aerobics or other forms of exercises. I do not need to spend the coin to help me live healthily. But will use the knowledge to do daily runs within our homestead. With these in place, I will be on my way to reducing my overweight and risks to heart failure or stroke. To the United States citizens and the world at large, people need to be sensitized slowly. These are because the largest percentage lives below the poverty line. Some of these populations have chosen a poor lifestyle of excessive eating and smoking as a means of coping with stress, and it ends up provoking depressions, obesity and anxiety. Instead, there is a cheaper and the simplest way to healing. If only they focus on healthy lifestyle brought by simple exercises, we would go an important step as a nation and reduce the burdens in hospital capacity. We will not have to divert huge sums of money in hospital bills to look after the sick. The time spent by families looking after the sick in hospitals will also be diverted to building the country and in turn, gets significant developments in various areas of agriculture, industries and businesses. These will make us come up with a healthy and productive state. Employers will no longer have to hire temporary persons to acting place of the sick ones. These will in turn prove to the world, of cases of handling each minute or second as a gift in all sectors. Therefore, everything will run smoothly and as anticipated. The choice of exercise in my life will impact heavily on m future. With reduced cases of stress and depression, I will not need to be worried. Instead, I will be productive in my country and believe it or not, I will be in a position to uplift the few who will have remained in these seas of mishap. These will cut down the massive taxation because the disease burden will have been reduced to almost zero levels. In conclusion, the author thought it wise to write about the importance of these cheap and affordable medications, exercise. He based it on some evidence once put out in the field of sports. The topic is more of a discussion with scientific evidence. The author Keith draws his conclusion from the research done in a lifetime in the field of sports psychology and scientific studies. These brought out clearly that, exercise can indeed enhance one's mental outlook. With evidence, comes, Sam’s, and the very own Keith’s confession, that it indeed worked the miracle of fitness and helped them settle mentally. The topic, therefore, has some scientific basis, some room for evidence-based practice. Since one or two of every American die from either diabetes or complications brought from obesity, Keith saw it wise to sensitize the communities on the importance of exercises. The topic looks simple, but most of us ignore. Ignorance comes not because we do not know but because we lack time for exercises. People fail to note that without it, it is the ultimate reason most hospitals grab money like manner from heaven. Much time is wasted looking after the sick in hospitals, and job positions get lost and immense losses experienced from various work places. These just happen because the state carries a heavy burdened and depends on loans and donations from major banks so as to help sustain the citizens. If only we work together as a nation and begin from we as individuals, and then spread it to families, friends and later the society. By the time the year ends, and then it means the whole country will be free from the heavy burden and at peace from deaths. Deaths caused by simple things we could have prevented. Therefore, these call for a simple change in lifestyle. These range from diet, where people should avoid fatty foods and luxurious lives. Instead, exercises should never miss in as much as one is unable to abstain from their substantial appetites, in turn, we will bring out a healthy nation. Read More