I Survived Depression - so can YOU!

Depression, a serious illness that causes a person to feel extremely downtrodden and hopeless about life has seen the number of people getting treated triple in the last ten years. That number is even more alarming when you consider the availability and development of new drugs and a more general acceptance of depression as a “real” illness and something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Depression in its early stages has symptoms that include the loss of energy, apathy and sadness. Other signs of depression are a loss of appetite, a disinterest in friends, family and hobbies and the use of alcohol and drugs to “dull the pain” or self medicate. Depression can lead to suicide in its worst cases. If you don’t personally suffer from depression, you probably know somebody who has or who will. Up to 10% of Americans have a depression related episode in the course of any year.

Although depression can always return to a person, and likely has genetic components that pass it down in families, it can almost always be alleviated with proper treatment and care. Traditional care includes therapy and medication (primarily anti depressants), preferably with a combination of the two. This process may take some trial and error as not all medications and types of therapy are right for every person.

However, there is more that can be done than paying exorbitant bills for therapy and medication. In fact, simple changes in your lifestyle such as getting involved in athletics and exercising can greatly improve your mood, both in the short and long term. Much of this is linked to the fact that exercising causes your body to release endorphins (and other feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine). Endorphins are your body’s natural pain killer and also contribute to feelings of elation and joy.

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Having trouble losing weight is one problem facing anyone that follows a diet. Keeping the weight off enters into the picture when the weight loss is gained right back again. Two different problems with one solution - THE RIGHT DIET.

Most of us look at the word “diet” and think of losing weight, yet it is our present “diet” that allowed us to be in that position where we now need to lose the weight. Finding a proper diet is the goal. A diet that will shed the pounds so we lose the weight is the objective.

Sometimes the diet for losing weight that we might have undertaken is the culprit. It is easy for many individuals to scapegoat the diet. But more often than not, the real culprit is ourselves. We lost enthusiasm and then lost sight of our commitment to losing the weight. (more…)

With all the talk about steroids in sports today its no wonder the discussion is shifting to golf. Where it used to be that working hard in the off season and seeing the progress on the course was good has now been tainted. An ounce of greatness is now clouded by suspicions of steroids and is continuously hurting sports such as golf. So the question remains, “Are there steroids in golf?”

First thought has to be, “Are you kidding me?” Simply because only 10% of all golfers in the world score under 100 and is there really a steroid out there that is going to help keep you from 3 putting? If there is I want one and so do a million other golfers out there!

The answer obviously is no, especially when you need finesse and not brawn to put the ball in the hole. However, there are other things for professional golfers that make us wonder. If a professional golfer already has the skills to make the pro tour how exactly would steroids benefit his game? (more…)