Stress and Depression can wreak havoc on anyone including: college professors, doctors, housewives, laborers, and students. It is an illness that will affect every facet of your life; your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. I know this first hand as I began my own recovery from drugs and steroids and the mind numbing depression that followed over nineteen years ago.

Exercise can play a vital role in relieving stress and depression. Often people go to group therapy or 12 step programs which is great. But as I found out the smoke filled meeting halls were full of people who drank endless cups of coffee and loaded up on donuts and cookies. I would use caffeine and sugar to take the place of drugs which lead to a sense of false comfort.

There is growing evidence that exercise can play a vital role in the recovery process as a way to alleviate the paralyzing effects of stress, depression and other emotional disorders. In Conquer Stress and Depression with Exercise (CF Publishing, 2006), J. Alexander Bodkin, M.D., Chief of The Clinical Psychopharmacology at McLean Hospital, states ?In my clinical work with people suffering from mood and anxiety problems, and the substance abuse that often follows from these, I have found time and time again that consistent, reasonably vigorous exercise is a great help. By the time people get to me as patients, exercise alone is no longer enough, but it remains a critical component of a total treatment program. Exercise will hasten recovery, improve well being, increase stress tolerance, relieve physical discomforts, improve physical health and appearance, and boost self-esteem and self-confidence."

An individual suffering from stress and depression can reap amazing benefits from a properly designed fitness program. Through exercise you get a feeling of accomplishment, increased energy (less fatigue), increased productivity, greater concentration, improved sleep, and an overall feeling of uplifted spirits.

The problem is, of course, getting started and motivated to stick with an exercise program. This is especially true for individuals in under emotional stress and depression. A lifetime of low self worth can prevent many people from improving their emotional and physical health. A health club, with all the spandex and beautiful people, is the last place you would want to be if you are you are already feeling lousy about yourself.

This fear is understandable, when I was first learning to live without drugs and going through a severe depression, I couldn't drag myself back to the gym, even though I knew how to exercise. The gym seemed like a nightclub to me. At that time I wished there was a health club, where someone could understand my predicament.

I responded to these feelings by turning my exercise knowledge into a tool for my own recovery. Since I couldn't bench press 400 pounds any more, I began to concentrate on the psychological benefits of my fitness routine. I started to focus on each and every movement - feeling the tightening, contraction and stretch of each muscle group. My mind and body were becoming one. In most people these are two separate entities, I wove them together to feel whole again.

This exercise program which helped me feel alive again, laid the foundation for my work. Today, I am the owner of Custom Fitness Personal Training in Boston, one-on-one personal training facility that specializes in working with individuals suffering from stress and depression. I also work with top executives who are under everyday stress and may be addicted to other things - like work, money and prestige.

I call my fitness program ? ?Mindful Movements? - which uses exercise as a way to obtain peak mental and physical health.

There are several steps you should follow:

1) WARMUP-5 minutes riding a bike or walking in place.

2) EXERCISE LARGER MUSCLE FIRST- Start with an exercise for your legs, chest, back, shoulders, arms, and. stomach.

3) KEEP IT LIGHT. If the weight is too heavy you can't focus on the movement of the muscle and there's a real chance of injury.

4) MOVE SLOWLY, USE CORRECT FORM.

5) CONCENTRATE ON THE PARTICULAR MUSCLE GROUP YOU ARE EXERCISING. You want to focus on the mind/muscle connection. Feel the muscle tighten on the way up, feel the contraction at the top of the movement, and concentrate on the stretch on the way down.

6) BREATHE CORRECTLY. Exhale through your mouth when lifting and inhale through your nose when lowering the weight.

7) GO EASY AT FIRST, SET REALISTIC GOALS. Don't try to look like Mr. Muscles or a supermodel. Your appearance will come if you enjoy the exercise routine.

Good Luck!