It's hard enough sometimes to get up the motivation to force yourself up from your comfy spot on the couch and start that work out. But it is doubly so, if you suffer from depression and its accompanying lack of energy and constant feeling of lethargy.

I've had to deal with reoccurring bouts of depressive episodes since I was fourteen. Through trial and error I've since then slowly started to figure out how to deal with them as best I can.

That includes finding appropriate ways of exercising without burning all of what little energy and focus I can muster every day. I've had to learn not to be upset or disappointed with myself when I have to skip a day, substitute high for low impact, do shorter workouts, etc.

Some ways that I still get my body moving, even without intense HIIT/strength workouts:

- Longer walks (I'm blessed to live in an area surrounded by beautiful

forests); I like listening to music or podcasts during, too

- Pilates, Yoga and stretching workouts

- low impact strength and abs workouts (sometimes with short bouts

of cardio)

- dancing and singing to music I love (and I mean "dance" in the

loosest sense of the word, lol)

- walking to the shop if I don't have to get a lot of stuff

What are some of your experiences dealing with depression? Do you have any more tips for motivation and how to get moving even when you're depressed?

Have a good, relaxed evening everyone, and remember to be gentle and forgiving with yourself