Boxing is like therapy with the gloves on

I’d heard that every Wednesday night, seven psychologists and psychiatrists slip on gloves and pound the heck out of heavy bags at Frederick Wright’s boxing class at the Washington Sports Clubs gym in Silver Spring, Md. Every Wednesday night, that is, except the one when I showed up.

This normally would have posed a problem, since I was planning to interview these pros on the connection between mental health and physical exercise. But it turns out I didn’t need a single therapist for that, just some gloves of my own. Sometime in that hour of crosses, jabs and uppercuts, my stress over missing them evaporated.

Enlarge this image

Clipart.com

Boxing can alleviate stress by giving patients a target for their anxiety and stress. The workout also releases endorphins, which soothe the patient’s temperament further.

Related health articles:

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

• Topics: Atlanta hospitals | Weight loss | CDC | Cancer | Swine Flu
• Back to Health news

DOCTOR IS IN

Why worry?

THINNER YOU

Lose weight. Together.

“When you’re having the worst possible day, this helps,” agreed my classmate Lourdes Ayala, a 41-year-old lawyer who uses class to vent frustration built up over endless hours at her computer. Same goes for 29-year-old Ezinwanne Hawkins, program director for Elizabeth House, a transitional housing program for teen-age moms: “I didn’t think boxing was something I’d enjoy, but you hit that bag and you’re really releasing everything.”

These days, there’s plenty to want to jettison — worries about the economy, job security, terrorism, the outcomes of the election and the future of “Project Runway,” for starters. But Washingtonians are managing stress better than the rest of the nation, according to a new survey by the American Psychological Association. And part of our success may be due to a reliance on physical activity: 51 percent use exercise to relieve stress, compared with 47 percent nationally.

Workout effects linger

While it’s the physical benefits that usually get people started on an exercise program, it’s the addiction to how it makes them feel that keeps them going, says Keith Johnsgard, an emeritus professor of psychology at San Jose State University and author of “Conquering Depression and Anxiety Through Exercise.”

He’s been studying this subject since the early 1970s, when he noticed the mood-elevating properties of his own workouts and started prescribing exercise as therapy to his patients. And when they wouldn’t do it on their own, Johnsgard would take them along with him for brisk strolls, or even jogs. (He thought he was the first person to do this until he recently learned that Sigmund Freud used to walk in the Vienna woods with one of his most depressed patients, Gustav Mahler.) At 80, he’s still an avid runner.

The effects of a heart-pumping workout, Johnsgard learned, linger well beyond hitting the showers. “If you see a shrink, they’re good listeners or they’ll give you a magic pill. But if you head to the gym or go on a run, not only does it make you feel better today, it’s a locus-of-control move,” he says. So instead of feeling constantly at the mercy of other forces, you realize this is a realm in which you’re the ultimate authority.

What’s more, he adds, some studies suggest exercise works as well as medication to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and the effects last longer. One vigorous exercise session will help alleviate symptoms for hours, and a regular schedule can banish them for good.

Putting patients in control

That’s why exercise is part of every program that Jerilyn Ross, director of the Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders in D.C., develops for patients. “It’s one of the first things I tell them to do,” she says. Maybe they feel powerless in terms of home life, finances or politics; with exercise, they’re in control. Plus, exercise produces endorphins — natural painkillers — and it improves the ability to sleep, which also reduces stress. Ross sees the effect it has on her temperament. A few skipped workouts from her usual schedule of twice-a-week personal training, a Pilates class and treadmill time, and she feels sluggish and unable to concentrate.

Ditto for Carrie Holl, a clinical psychologist who has a private practice and is on staff at Georgetown University Medical Center. With a 5 month old, it’s been tricky for her to fit in time for exercise, but she’s walking whenever possible because she knows the power of movement. “People who are depressed don’t feel motivated. Things aren’t that interesting to them,” she says. “But exercise can help them break out of that cycle.

As for what kind of exercise Holl recommends, it depends on the patient. “For people with severe depression, stepping on a treadmill for a minute can be a significant accomplishment,” she explains. But she generally recommends group classes because they encourage interaction with others, have a structure and a regular schedule. Boxing, in particular, can be helpful for dealing with anxiety. The tendency to be passive takes a beating once folks are comfortable throwing punches.

Becoming giddy and relaxed

That makes sense to Wright. He sees a pattern: Students walk in tightly wound and distracted with thoughts of the day, but by the cool-down, they’re giddy and relaxed. “You get to visualize that person or that situation bothering you and take it out on the bag,” he says. And some of them do it quite vocally — in fact, he’s found the loudest grunters and moaners tend to be the mental health professionals.

Andy Wald, a psychotherapist who spars regularly with Wright during personal training sessions, has a theory about this enthusiasm. “Boxing and therapy require similar qualities — patience, persistence, endurance,” he explains. And certainly his brethren understand that pounding on inanimate objects is a constructive way to vent. “It’s a lot better than hitting someone,” he says, adding that its explosive nature mimics a popular form of therapy, core energetics, which relies on smacking and kicking things to bring pent-up feelings to the surface.

Cycling or dance classes may also occupy the brain and push out worries about your boss or credit card bill, but there is something special about having a specific target for your aggression. Just ask another of Wright’s students, elementary school teacher Nate Gordon, 38. “You can feel and see the impact of it. The sound of your fist hitting is very satisfying,” he says.

I may have to come back the next time I’m on deadline.