It appears that physical exercise is a great healer – patients who take up physical activity are experiencing a swifter return to health than those given pills. While of course physical activity is a huge challenge for a depression sufferer, if considered it can be a lifesaver – may be worth to have a read. A patient may choose to have a walk with a friend or start exercising at home – every step matters.
Good old walking is great – even more effective in a park or forest as contact with nature heals. Moderate walking is not extremely demanding physically, it burns calories and one doesn’t need to prepare for it in a special way.
Dancing or aerobic exercise is fantastic if one manages to start a routine. Check YouTube – it offers a lot of professional online classes for free.
Men may choose a gym – one changes alongside his body and a person doesn’t simply behave as if he was stronger – he is a stronger. I have heard of countless cases of people who built muscle and mental health at the same time. It was hard at the beginning, of course, but later it became a second nature and finally one realizes: My depression is gone!!!
Going out from the home is hard when suffering from depression. I also do not recommend exercises with one’s body weight as they take long to take effect. You can build your home gym quite cheaply though – get two dumbbells and these will suffice to train pretty much every muscle of your body. Sure, it won’t be as effective as your professional gym – but it may be a fantastic start for a person who cannot bear the thought of going out from the house and working out cheek-by-jowl with others. I am the best example of such routine – after years of vegetative existence in front of a computer screen I purchased two adjustable dumbbells (15kg each) and it was enough for long months. I did not have any other equipment and I made do with household furniture. Time has passed; I bought more equipment to be able to add more exercise forms. I could do almost all “gym” exercises for a fraction of a price. It wasn’t state of art but was effective. If there is a will there is a way.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11020092