It's clear to me personally (N=1) that exercise is fantastic to reduce/prevent depression, but I don't see any indication this study showed causality (nor does it claim to, to be fair).

People who are depressed are less likely to have the initiative/will power to get out of bed and do some moderate exercise.

Yes, a negative feedback loop.

Peer pressure can offset this. So rather than signing up for a gym membership that you only use once or twice, instead try signing up for a class of some sort - anything that gets you off yer butt - tai chi, fencing, modern dance, whatever. But a place where you see the same faces every week.

Unless you are asocial when depressed

All the more reason.

As someone who has dealt with depression and probably always will, a socially engaging workout would eliminate any chance whatsoever of participation.

Trying to force my muscles to move in front of other people, not to mention holding up conversations I don't have energy for, would be social torture.

My process: puttering around organizing my space gets me moving - if I "waste" a day or two moving around, all the better. The vanishing clutter lifts my spirits.

Then walks. Cardio VR games that are fun of their own accord. As I get more energy, I ramp up actual workouts. And start engaging with people again.

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Edit: But yes, as a preventative, I can see social workouts as helpful for overcoming a general exercise motivation gap. The same as for anyone. But it would have a tendency to backfire when an episode hit.

I need to recover physical, mental, then social energy in that order.

> puttering around organizing my space gets me moving

I've done this myself. Three or four hours has seemed optimal. Time to meditate.

On occasion a string of Reward Beers (TM) provides motivation and carbs.

I commute solely by cycling every weekday (15 min each way, with some hills) and I’m still depressed. Must be more to the puzzle than that!

Of course there’s more to it than that; but, it’s been long known that exercise helps curtail symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.

Due to life changes that are devastating, I’m walking/running 8-12 miles a day and swimming 3-5. I still have severe anxiety (along with medication and therapy), but the days where I cannot get to the gym or out are FAR worse than those that I do.

30 mins of biking probably isn’t enough exercise to get to the threshold required to reduce your levels. While everyone is different, I need to hit the 45 min mark to feel any sort of benefit.

Fair point! 30 min is probably not enough. When I was able to maintain a routine similar to your own, the baseline was indeed better (and the days without were much worse). Best of luck in finding/maintaining the right balance for you.