Exercise-meditation combo, a weapon against depression

Fighting depression can really be tough, but if you combine meditation and aerobic exercise together you can beat it, according to a new study.

The study found that this mind and body combination, done twice a week for only two months, reduced the symptoms for a group of students by 40 percent.

Lead author Brandon Alderman said that they are excited by the findings because they saw such a meaningful improvement in both clinically depressed and non-depressed students, adding that it is the first time that both of these two behavioral therapies have been looked at together for dealing with depression.

Researcher Tracey Shors said that this study suggests that when done together, there is a striking improvement in depressive symptoms along with increases in synchronized brain activity.

As per Alderman, these therapies can be practiced over a lifetime and that they will be effective in improving mental and cognitive health. The good news is that this intervention can be practiced by anyone at any time and at no cost.

The study is published in Translational Psychiatry.