When the weight of the world has you feeling down in the dumps, today more than ever people are likely to turn to prescription meds to cure their depression. Anti-depressants are one of the most commonly abused substances in the United States. Drugs like Xanax are not only prescribed often for a variety of problems but are also commonly abused by the young partying generation. These drugs are highly addictive and feature some nasty withdrawal symptoms[i].

Depression is a serious disorder that should not be taken lightly, and the medication used to combat it shouldn’t either. Before you go to the drugstore, try the great outdoors. I’m sure it isn’t news to you that exercise is good for your body but it may be news to you that it is also incredibly beneficial for your mind. When it comes to treating depression, in some cases endurance exercise can be as effective as prescription drugs. In fact, researchers found endurance exercise so effective to your overall health that they think it should be considered a drug[ii].

You might find an hour of walking, running, or biking taxing, but there are ways to make that time fly by. Have a conversation with a workout buddy, listen to an audiobook, or simply use the time to take a break from the overstimulation of a 21st-century lifestyle.

While I am a huge fan of endurance exercise for mental health, aerobic exercise can improve memory and decrease the risk of Alzheimer's, when it comes to physical health I much prefer strength training. Nevertheless, I still want to reap the mental benefits of exercise. Any movement will, to some extent, challenge your proprioception, coordination, and balance, these four are great for those of us who’d rather strength train than run.

Strength Training Movements That Train Your Brain:

Ladder drills

There are a hundred different ways to use this piece of equipment, and each will challenge your coordination differently. Here are a few examples of exercises to try:

· Ickey Shuffle

· Ali Shuffle

· Suicides

Single-leg RDL

This is simply one of the best exercises ever. It is a hinge pattern movement that challenges your balance and ankle stability.

Single-leg kettlebell swap

This is another great ankle stability and glute exercise, and is far more challenging than it looks.

Dead bugs

This core exercise takes a fair amount of coordination to move the opposite arm and leg.

All of these movements will challenge your mind but we can always make them tougher! Once you master these shoot me a message at jd@jakedermer.com and I'll send you some new ones to try :).

[i] https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/725c/bab0f1060a771d1d5c5d6cf2594e1d8c91be.pdf

[ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448908/

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