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What's exercise got to do with a healthy recovery? Plenty, as I found out when I joined the Harbor Fitness gym in my neighborhood. I've been going there for seven months now, and it's made all the difference.

First, I have more energy; I'm not fatigued. I've gained muscle, so I'm burning fat, and that enables me to eat the same amount of food and not gain weight. As a 39-year old woman, I'm at the older age where weight gain becomes a consideration. So I'm glad I can have my key lime pie – and eat it, too!

Within one week of starting my routine, I felt a difference. The trainer, a woman, had tested my fitness level and custom-devised the program. I do forty minutes of cardio—the treadmill—plus five upper-body machines; and at the next session, I do the treads plus five lower body machines.

After eight weeks, I began to see a difference. The trainer re-tested my fitness level, and I saw these improvements: I lowered my higher body fat from 32% to 29%, placing it closer to the normal percentage for someone my age. My blood pressure is 100/60. My cholesterol level is 175.

I like working out here because they play cool music, it features free classes like yoga and Pilates, and everyone does their own thing. No one is judging you because they are concentrating on building their own bodies.

How does the exercise specifically relate to my recovery? It gave me a mood boost. In tandem with a 5-mg increase in my meds, it stopped my SAD (seasonal-affective disorder): the crying jags I'd get every night in the winter. Just as vitally, it regulates my sleep, which for the past five years has been a problem.

I get insomnia. It's hard for me to fall asleep by 10 PM. I've long known I am an owl, not a lark. I'd lie in bed, replaying the day's events. Visualizing them in my head provoked the same visceral effect as if they were actually happening. This elevated my energy and prevented sleep. As not being able to sleep is a factor in relapse, I knew it was important to get this behavior under control.

Dr. Altman, my psychiatrist, keyed into this, and when I told him I joined a gym, he offered a solution, "I want you to exercise more, not less. Every day if you can."

When I left his office, I was singing: this I could do! It was vital. My emotional and physical health depended on my ability to get a good night's sleep. I was glad he didn't prescribe a pill. I felt better knowing that I could do this on my own.

Ever since April, I've been exercising between two and four times a week. True to his words, I've been able to drift asleep before 1 a.m. on nearly every night of the week. On some days, I may wake up during the night, yet I soon fall back to wonderland.

Exercise also boosts the immune system. I haven't been sick in nearly a year, whereas in the past, I'd get a repeated cold or bronchitis. I've gotten mentally tough as well. As I pound the treadmill, I melt away the stress. Other people may let me down, but I won't let myself down.

If you can't afford a gym membership, I suggest a walking routine: one mile, four times a week. You can pick a scenic route. I like to walk down Fifth Avenue, the retail district near my apartment, at a brisk pace until I hit Century 21. Then I'll go in the department store and treat myself to a reward.

Whatever fitness routine you adopt, just remember to take it at your own comfort level. Start out understanding your limits, build up your physical competencies, and then by all means, push yourself. Moderate, consistent exercise is better than random bursts of intense activity. In at least two reliable sources, I've read that even two days per week of doing routines at the gym will give you benefits. Try one program, and if that doesn't work, find another. Do it for your health.