Yesterday I went for a bike ride, the first one since last summer. I worked out some muscle groups that have been dormant for too long through the long cold winter we’ve just gone through (yes, here in Upstate New York it only recently ended). It was a good start, a six and a half mile ride that included some country roads, village streets and a stone-dust trail along a creek. There were struggles to push myself to the top of a hill and welcome breaks of gentle coasting. For anyone who struggles with depression and is seeking out ways to relieve it, one of the best pieces of advice you’ll come across is the need to exercise. The benefits of exercise as a treatment for depression are pretty well documented, but I think one of the biggest benefits is that exercise can help you with generating goals that go beyond mental health.

Now that I’ve been sober for over a year and managing my depression pretty well through medication and therapy I’m looking at what’s next, in terms of what do I do with myself. One of the things that’s next is taking control of my physical health and managing it like I have my mental health. I want to lose weight, I want to look and feel good. I have some things working for me and some things working against me, but they’re doable goals. But I wanted to share this story from Buzzfeed, because it connects to a lot of what I’m going through now and a great reminder that even as these goals are tough they aren’t impossible:

Here’s How This Man Quit Drugs, Alcohol, And Junk Food And Lost 125 Pounds

Stephen Odom, 28, is a photographer and live music production assistant living in Houston. He spoke with BuzzFeed Life about how he overhauled his health and fitness and changed his life. Here’s his story… http://www.buzzfeed.com/sallytamarkin/steveos-journey