as others have noted, these things are a negative feedback loop when you start slacking on them. so i think its important to make them as easy as possible, and externally enforced as possible. i think they truly do help alot of people, of course not all, but many. im really not sure how to solve that chicken and egg problem tho- you dont do these three things because you are depressed, which begets more of the same. for me, basketball was a panacea, since i discovered i enjoyed playing it immensely. so i got exercise without having to force myself. i got so hungry from exercise that i couldn't avoid eating alot (for me, eating regularly and enough was the challenge), and of course, being so tired from exercise helped me sleep. i guess its a parable in treating depression as much as its a parable in how valuable sports can be.