At-home exercise reduced depression levels significantly during COVID-19 lockdowns, says research

"We found that regardless of the type of movement that people did in a week—whether it was high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or yoga—their mental health improved," said Dr. Eli Puterman, an associate professor at UBC's school of kinesiology and the Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Health.

Dr. Puterman, who is also a health psychologist studying how exercise can benefit highly stressed people, says he noticed a lot of people suffering from isolation, loneliness and depression in the early days of the pandemic. One study found that global rates of depression and anxiety reached 28 percent and 26 percent, or more, in the beginning of the pandemic, respectively.

He says his findings show that low-cost and accessible exercises are important strategies for managing depression and should be implemented widely.

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