Depression, poor diet and obesity are often closely linked, as illustrated by the incredible story of former top athlete Alex Goodrich.
Alex Goodrich had three lives, which he summarized in a series of images posted on social networks. First a judo champion, this young Englishman became obese, to finally become a doctor passionate about bodybuilding.
Prior to 2010, Alex Goodrich was a top judoka, training hard for the 2012 London Olympics. But during a practice, he received a punch that caused him to lose sight in one eye. Thus handicapped, he can no longer participate in competitions, stops training and becomes obese. In fact, the man cannot overcome his accident and suffers from severe depression. “I fell into a downward spiral of depression shutting myself off, cutting myself off from the world. I can say I was at an all time low in my life. I was broke, anxious, stressed and in depression. I consoled myself with junk food: chips, chocolate and fast food. I developed sleep apnea, “says the unfortunate.
More than 150 kg
At the lowest for several years, Alex Goodrich ended up weighing more than 150 kilos, and attempted suicide in November 2016. The fact that he survived it caused a click. Helped by psychologists and dietitians, he set himself a new goal: to become a bodybuilding champion. He follows a high protein diet for two years and goes to the gym 6 days a week. He manages to come down to 85 kilos. In the photo above, we can see that he is all muscle. “I managed to put aside the unnecessary suffering of my life and I changed. From a victim I became a hero”, testifies again the one who now aims to participate in the Pure Elite competition, the largest bodybuilding competition in Europe.
As in the case of Alex Goodrich, and according to a Swiss study, obesity is often a corollary state of depression. “The psychological profile of obese patients with eating disorders is often characterized by decreased self-esteem, overall dissatisfaction with life, impulsivity, phobias and hostility. It is therefore not surprising that the obesity-eating disorder association is enriched by the presence of psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders. Of 150 obese patients with unspecified eating disorders, they demonstrated that approximately 75% showed a positive score on the self-report depression test, approximately 60% suffered from moderate to very high anxiety and that about 50% of the collective had assertiveness problems.
Sports and depression
Still based on the story of Alex Goodrich, let’s remember that sport is one of the essential ways to recover from depression. According to researchers from the University of Thessaly, Greece, who analyzed a series of randomized clinical trials, aerobic exercises are more effective than conventional antidepressant treatments and psychological therapies.
The researchers based their research on 11 trials involving 455 patients aged 18 to 65 with major depression. All performed moderate-intensity supervised aerobic exercise for an average of 45 minutes, 3 times per week, for 9.2 weeks.
A bundle of symptoms
Depression is described as a cluster of symptoms of which mood (sadness, loss of pleasure or anhedonia) is only one dimension alongside instinctual functions (sleep, appetite and libido) and severely impaired cognitive and motor functions. “Furthermore, for the syndrome to be pathological, clinical suffering and/or an alteration in the professional, family and social functioning of the person must be objectified”, specify the experts.
According to INPES, the symptoms of depression are characterized by: living for a period of at least two consecutive weeks feeling sad, depressed or hopeless, practically all day, almost every day; live a period of at least two consecutive weeks having lost interest in most things, almost all day, almost every day; feeling exhausted or lacking in energy more than usual; have gained or lost at least five kilos; have more difficulty sleeping than usual; having much more trouble concentrating than usual; having thought a lot about death; losing interest in most things like hobbies, work, or activities that usually give pleasure.
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