Your Health: Exercise to get rid of anxiety, and put on a happy face
Psychology Professor Jasper Smits' research focuses on how exercise can help you get rid of anxiety.
By Kim Painter
Most people seeking treatment for depression or anxiety face two choices: medication or psychotherapy. But there's a third choice that is rarely prescribed, though it comes with few side effects, low costs and a list of added benefits, advocates say.
The treatment: exercise.
"It's become clear that this is a good intervention, particularly for mild to moderate depression," says Jasper Smits, a psychologist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Exercise as an anxiety treatment is less well-studied but looks helpful, he says.
It's no secret that exercise often boosts mood: The runner's high is legendary, and walkers, bikers, dancers and swimmers report their share of bliss.
More about Jasper Smits' research.
More about the SMU Anxiety and Treatment Program.
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