Working out doesn’t have to mean pumping weights or running for miles; it can mean gentle exercises from your bed.
TikTok fitness coach Alexis Claire has made nearly 50 videos as part of her “depression workout” series, where she encourages viewers to move their bodies from bed if they are feeling low. Claire receives between 2,000 and 160,000 views for each video.
“People in a deep depression struggle with simple tasks like brushing their teeth or taking a shower,” Claire told Newsweek. “Asking them to go to a gym or run while they’re in that state can feel like an impossible task, especially when they don’t have the energy to do even basic personal hygiene.
“Starting with something this small feels manageable and not nearly as overwhelming, leading them to move when they otherwise wouldn’t have,” Claire said.
In the videos, she lies on her bed and goes through a short sequence of movements, often involving gentle stretches, leg raises and less intense versions of press-ups, pushups and muscle-building exercises.
In many of her videos, there is an added cozy element; for example, inviting her viewers to move while watching their favorite show.
“The saying ‘movement is medicine’ exists for a reason,” said Claire. “Movement has been proven to release beneficial chemicals in our brain, and when you’re feeling low, you take all the happy chemicals you can get.
“Movement is great for our brain, our muscles, our digestion, our blood-flow, our mobility, and so much more. Even a small amount can go a long way, especially if that movement can lead to bigger movement.”
The essential ingredient to a depression workout? “Moving, of any kind,” said Claire. “If you moved all your limbs up, down, and around a few times, you already moved more than you would have, making it effective in my book.
“I always softly recommend pushing yourself to do the entire workout I post, but it’s not necessary to get the benefits.”
Also, at the end of some of Claire’s videos, she suggests that her viewers could use the momentum they have built up by moving to get out of bed, if they feel like it.
Claire originally trained to be a social worker, but, after working in the field for a few years, she decided to pivot to fitness—and she told Newsweek that the idea for her depression workouts was inspired by personal experience.
“I struggle with mental health myself, so I know how difficult it can be for people who struggle with depression to get out of bed,” said Claire. “I have suggested to people to just flop around on their beds on those low-energy days, just to get some movement and blood flow, and that eventually transformed into more structured forms of movement.”
Today, Claire said she hopes that her workouts help not just people with diagnosed depression, but also people with disabilities, with a chronic illness, with fatigue, and “anyone else who struggles to peel themselves out of bed sometimes.”
Claire said: “I hope it helps them rediscover movement in a safe and manageable way, and I hope it helps them slowly work their way toward bigger movement, even if that’s just exiting the bed to brush their teeth.”
She added that she was grateful for the platform her workouts had gotten, and that she hoped they continued to help people through tough times.
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