My $700 Anti-Depression Machine… You Can Have One Too! Just not Mine – I Need Mine.

Depression is a tough problem to work through in the best of times without a little help.  As a sober fellow, it’s even trickier because the medication often prescribed can be abused… and if it can be abused, I will abuse it.  I’ve actually seen the effects of someone doing this and it’s not pretty.  In fact, one of my good friends is now feeding worms because he couldn’t treat his medication properly.  It’s a sad story.  Now, rarely will I advocate for medicine over fitness, but in the case of depression, my bouts with it were minor enough and the cause for which was obvious enough that getting myself back on track was possible without a doctor’s help (medical or mental).  There are those who aren’t so fortunate.  There are those who need professional help and they should, without reservation, seek it.

That said, as numerous studies have shown, one of the best, simple steps to achieving excellent mental health is to stay active.  Whether it be running, hiking, riding, swimming, kayaking, camping, or any of the hundreds of ways to enjoy oneself while being active, as long as you’re moving and enjoying yourself, it’ll help.

Enter my $700 anti-depression machine:

While my anti-depression machine looks an awful lot like my Magic CPAP Machine:

…the two should not be confused.  The Magic CPAP Machine is awesome, of this fact there is no doubt, but my Anti-Depression Machine is something special because it provides the owner with a special ability:  The ability to ride it darn-near anywhere.  Single-track bike paths, over roots and rocks, up ridiculously steep hills, the mountain bike can laugh at most terrain and this is special to fighting depression because, with enough practice, it can make the user feel like a kid again – and the key to happiness is to see the world through the eyes of a child.  Now, I had a great childhood, not everyone was so lucky – but that’s where the magic of the mountain bike shines through…  This isn’t the key to the childhood of your past, it’s your key to the childhood of right now, the one that you always wanted to have but circumstances made impossible.

I encourage you, if your childhood sucked and you didn’t have much of an opportunity to smile, buy a mountain bike, put that baggage in a Camelbak backpack, and ride your ass off.  Chances are better than not, you end up with a smile on your face before long and you’ll come to know exactly what I mean by “your childhood of right now”.  No better time than the present.