Find out how exercising can prevent depression.

The key to a healthy harmony between mind, body, and spirit is to have each aspect of your life in good condition. It's a system that all ties in together as one, so if your body begins to slip, so does your mental state. That goes vice versa, as well.

Several different factors can play into depression, which is a chemical imbalance within your brain that can be brought on by trauma or stress, but also, deficiencies. Vitamin B and Iron deficiencies, for example, play a very important role in maintaining a healthy emotional center.

Aside from giving your body important vitamins to keep it functioning smoothly, introducing a regular exercise routine into your life has been proven to lift your spirits and help ease the symptoms of depression. How can it do this?

• It provides a distraction. With depression often comes anxiety and over-thinking, which often makes a problem bigger than it is. This worsens thing, and the best way to deal with anxiety flare-ups is to get your mind off of it for a bit until you're more reasonable and ready to handle the problem.
• It builds your confidence. Many people who suffer from depression complain of having severe feeling of inadequacy, and have shown to have lower self-esteem levels than someone who isn't struggling with mental health. Seeing progress in your body and strength, and sometimes weight, can be a great way to pull yourself from a bad place with your confidence.
• Exercising releases the "feel good" endorphins. Similar to chocolate, sex, and weed, the body produces a chemical that perks us up and makes us feel better. Rigorous exercise can release this same endorphin, and spirits are usually lifted after a workout.
• Presents goals and motivation in your life. Sometimes all you need to start making positive changes is a reason to do. Exercise routines give you a sense of stability, a goal that you can track your progress on, and seeing the results provides excellent motivation to get you going!
• Encourages healthy coping methods. It's very easy to fall victim to bad habits when you're not feeling yourself mentally, and things like drinking or over-eating can begin to prove themselves as problems if left unattended. Exercise offers a healthy way to deal with stress and frustration, the leading causes of depression.
• Increases the chance for social activity. Working out with friends, joining gyms or fitness clubs like a yoga class, and even just talking a walk through the park with your spouse can be a way to open up and talk with other human beings. Isolation only increases feelings of depression, and exercise gives you an excuse to get your friends together.

When you are suffering from depression, sometimes even the smallest changes for the better can go a really long way in the end game. Focusing on improving your healthy and the state of your body through exercise is a wonderful step to take towards a happy mind.