Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being

An impressive body of research has accumulated over the last several decades, indicating that engagement in regular physical exercise has numerous physical and mental health benefits. Clinical trials even suggest that exercise may be as effective as some traditional forms of psychotherapy in treating clients with depressive or anxiety disorders. The book Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being by Drs. Michael Otto and Jasper Smits aims to provide readers with a foundational understanding of the rationale and research regarding the use of exercise as a clinical intervention, and an easy-to-use guide that will enable readers to improve their moods and reduce anxiety through engagement in regular exercise. The book opens with an overview of the text, followed by a review of relevant empirical evidence supporting the mood-enhancing effects of exercise. In anticipation of the difficulties people often encounter when attempting to initiate and maintain an exercise regimen, the authors proactively identify prospective barriers, such as errors in planning, fantasizing about the benefits of exercise, and discomfort during exercise, and how to avoid or overcome such challenges. Readers will find the authors’ discussion of the nature of motivation (internal vs. external) and how to manipulate the environment to enhance motivation and support exercise particularly expedient. The text also delivers a clear and concise explanation of the cognitive perspective on emotional problems, reviewing how one’s thoughts and language, accurate or not, affect emotion, and in turn how negative emotional states, such as depression and anxiety, exacerbate negative cognitions. Drs. Otto and Smits proceed to provide the reader with simple tools, including thought challenging and reframing, to help them self-identify and combat negativistic thinking with the aim of preparing readers for potential thoughts that may impact their ability to adopt a new exercise regimen. The middle portion of the book is devoted to helping readers develop positive “self-coaching” practices for approaching exercise. The aim here is clearly to prepare readers for exercise using concrete strategies based on the principles reviewed in previous chapters. For example, readers are instructed in how to develop a plan for their new exercise routine to promote exercise adherence, such as exercising with a friend, selecting appropriate equipment, and deciding on an exercise location. Readers are then provided with an “exercise prescription,” which considers such important topics such as type(s) of exercise to engage in and the optimal duration and intensity of exercise to promote physical health and the mood improvement. Many readers are likely to find the authors’ discussion of cognitive strategies to promote pleasure during exercise, such as mindfulness and positive sensation focus, and postexercise review and rewards particularly useful in developing an enjoyable and persistent exercise routine. The remainder of the text focuses on methods to promote and enhance exercise adherence. The authors recommend diversifying exercise routines, such as engaging in different types of exercise or exercising with different people, to reduce boredom and manage the effects of seasonal changes on exercise and mood. Drs. Otto and Smits close with an extension of the principles presented in the text to encompass broader lifestyle changes, such as obesity prevention, healthy eating habits, and promoting overall physical activity (not just exercise). Although this book is primarily intended for a non-professional audience of individuals attempting to engage in self-improvement, the authors’ skillful integration of scientific support for their premises and concise, yet thorough, application of effective behavior change strategies make the text of relevance to a much broader audience. Students, clinicians, and health professionals who are interested in the mood-enhancing properties of exercise or considering incorporating physical exercise into treatment protocols for anxious and depressed clients will find this text to be an invaluable resource. The authors’ extensive inclusion of worksheets, questionnaires, vignettes, and refer-