The Link Between Exercise and Stress
It is no secret that people who exercise regularly feel better, more energetic, and less stressed. . There is plenty of evidence to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits.
Four ways exercise controls stress.
Exercise can help you relax. Although the actual exercise bout might be strenuous and difficult to execute, actual benefits such as stress reduction, body toning etc. actually occur after the session is over. The immediate post-exercise period helps flush out carbon dioxide and waste products from the various systems. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measured a decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People feel less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.
Exercise can help raise your mood. A good and well-supervised exercise session helps you relax for the next 90 to 120 minutes. This is called post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response, and these ‘feel good’ chemicals improve your mood and leave you relaxed.
Exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Think about those times when you were physically active. Did you not better about yourself? That feeling of self-worth contributes to stress relief. Physical fitness is a buffer against stress and fit subjects experience less stress than unfit subjects.
Exercise can make you eat better. People who exercise regularly tend to eat more nutritious food and stick to healthy eating habits; this helps your body manage stress better.
To help you get started here are three types of activities you can choose from. A combination of all 3 is ideal for best results.
1. Aerobic activity. All it takes is 20 minutes’ worth, six to seven days a week. Twenty minutes won’t carve a big chunk out of your day, but it will improve your ability to control stress significantly. These are good aerobic studios in almost every town. Look for information in local newspapers for spring specials and other discounts.
2. Yoga. In yoga or yoga-type activities, your mind relaxes progressively as your body increases its amount of muscular work. Recent studies have shown that when large muscle groups repeatedly contract and relax, the brain receives a signal to release specific neurotransmitters, which in turn make you feel relaxed and more alert.
3. Recreational sports. Play cricket, football tennis, or badminton on weekends. Cycling and swimming also work well. These games require the kind of vigorous activity that rids your body of stress-causing adrenaline and other hormones.
In addition to the above ‘long term solutions’, you can also try several techniques to ‘calm down’ when you feel overly stressed.
Short cut stress busters.
If you are sitting in one position for a prolonged period of time, stand up from the desk and stretch your arms and legs at regular intervals. Shut your eyes and take 20 slow deep breaths. Listen to soothing music. Squeeze and release a towel or a rubber ball a few times. Do not jump to reach the phone and respond in a calm composed manner to all situations. Visualize yourself petting your children, sitting by the balcony watching the sunset, spending the weekend relaxing with family, walking on grass etc.
By: Nitin Chhoda
About the Author:
Four ways exercise controls stress.
Exercise can help you relax. Although the actual exercise bout might be strenuous and difficult to execute, actual benefits such as stress reduction, body toning etc. actually occur after the session is over. The immediate post-exercise period helps flush out carbon dioxide and waste products from the various systems. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measured a decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People feel less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.
Exercise can help raise your mood. A good and well-supervised exercise session helps you relax for the next 90 to 120 minutes. This is called post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response, and these ‘feel good’ chemicals improve your mood and leave you relaxed.
Exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Think about those times when you were physically active. Did you not better about yourself? That feeling of self-worth contributes to stress relief. Physical fitness is a buffer against stress and fit subjects experience less stress than unfit subjects.
Exercise can make you eat better. People who exercise regularly tend to eat more nutritious food and stick to healthy eating habits; this helps your body manage stress better.
To help you get started here are three types of activities you can choose from. A combination of all 3 is ideal for best results.
1. Aerobic activity. All it takes is 20 minutes’ worth, six to seven days a week. Twenty minutes won’t carve a big chunk out of your day, but it will improve your ability to control stress significantly. These are good aerobic studios in almost every town. Look for information in local newspapers for spring specials and other discounts.
2. Yoga. In yoga or yoga-type activities, your mind relaxes progressively as your body increases its amount of muscular work. Recent studies have shown that when large muscle groups repeatedly contract and relax, the brain receives a signal to release specific neurotransmitters, which in turn make you feel relaxed and more alert.
3. Recreational sports. Play cricket, football tennis, or badminton on weekends. Cycling and swimming also work well. These games require the kind of vigorous activity that rids your body of stress-causing adrenaline and other hormones.
In addition to the above ‘long term solutions’, you can also try several techniques to ‘calm down’ when you feel overly stressed.
Short cut stress busters.
If you are sitting in one position for a prolonged period of time, stand up from the desk and stretch your arms and legs at regular intervals. Shut your eyes and take 20 slow deep breaths. Listen to soothing music. Squeeze and release a towel or a rubber ball a few times. Do not jump to reach the phone and respond in a calm composed manner to all situations. Visualize yourself petting your children, sitting by the balcony watching the sunset, spending the weekend relaxing with family, walking on grass etc.
By: Nitin Chhoda
About the Author:
Nitin is a personal trainer, columnist and lecturer, who recently appeared on Good Morning America. He offers training routines for women, diet plans, grocery lists and fitness books at http://www.toningforwomen.com. He also provides online personal training for a low monthly fee at http://www.phonefitnesstrainer.com. Sign up for his free newsletter and tools at either site.
No More Excuses Not To Exercise!
You’re too busy, too tired. too intimidated by treadmills and dumbells and guys in muscle tees-yes, you have plenty of reasons not to exercise. But there are even more reasons to exercise. Time and time again, exercise has been proven to boost overall physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Everyone would agree that exercise is a vital component of any long-term weight-control program. Therefore, establishing an exercise routine that works for you is important. As humans, however, we can be very clever in devising reasons and excuses not to exercise.
Most of us make excuses at one time or another for our behavior, and the reasons vary widely. In our busy and often stressful lives, we convince ourselves that there simply isn’t time to be physically active. If we examine our days more carefully, however, they are most likely filled with all sorts of “unplanned time robbers.” Phone calls, requests for assistance, deadlines, etc. are common time robbers. Before long, the needs of others begin to far outweigh our own needs–our need to be physically active.
I don’t have enough time!
First, set a goal that will motivate you, such as fitting into a pair of new or old jeans. Once you establish that objective, the next part-finding the time to work out-will quickly follow. With 1,440 minutes in each day, you should be able to set aside 30 of them to do something good for yourself.
Exercise is boring!
Find something to do that is fun for you. Focus on one activity, others crave variety in their routines. Exercise is overwhelming enough. If you set up unrealistic goals for yourself, you sabotage your efforts for maintaining them.
I can’t seem to make it to the gym!
Things come up, and exercise is just not as large a priority as the events that we allow ourselves to be distracted by. People who struggle to fit fitness into their routine change the way they think about exercise. Focus on exercise as a habit you build into your life like taking a shower, or brushing your teeth.
Exercise can be your best ally against weight gain and many diseases associated with overweight. Exercise increases and prolongs calorie burning and increases stamina, fitness, and muscle strength. Physical activity has also been shown to decrease appetite for many individuals and is directly associated with long-term weight control. Remind yourself regularly of the positive benefits you receive from physical activity.
Here are some tips that will help you start and stick with an exercise program:
Choose something you like to do. Make sure it suits you physically, too. For instance, swimming is easier on arthritic joints.
Get a partner. Exercising with someone else can make it more fun.
Vary your routine. You may be less likely to get bored or injured if you change your routine. Walk one day. Bicycle the next. Consider activities like dancing and racket sports, and even chores like chopping wood.
Choose a comfortable time of day. Don’t work out too soon after eating or when it’s too hot or cold outside. Wait until later in the day if you’re too stiff in the morning.
Don’t get discouraged. It can take weeks or months before you notice some of the changes from exercise.
Forget “no pain, no gain.” While a little soreness is normal after you first start exercising, pain isn’t. Stop if you hurt.
Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music or watch TV while riding a stationary bicycle, for example. Find fun things to do, like taking a walk through the zoo. Go dancing. Learn how to play tennis.
The mind can also benefit from exercise. Increases in overall well-being, mood, self-esteem, and the ability to cope with anxiety and stress have been found to be true of regular exercisers. Some people experience improvements in quality-of-life with regular exercise.
By: Steven A Johnson
About the Author:
Everyone would agree that exercise is a vital component of any long-term weight-control program. Therefore, establishing an exercise routine that works for you is important. As humans, however, we can be very clever in devising reasons and excuses not to exercise.
Most of us make excuses at one time or another for our behavior, and the reasons vary widely. In our busy and often stressful lives, we convince ourselves that there simply isn’t time to be physically active. If we examine our days more carefully, however, they are most likely filled with all sorts of “unplanned time robbers.” Phone calls, requests for assistance, deadlines, etc. are common time robbers. Before long, the needs of others begin to far outweigh our own needs–our need to be physically active.
I don’t have enough time!
First, set a goal that will motivate you, such as fitting into a pair of new or old jeans. Once you establish that objective, the next part-finding the time to work out-will quickly follow. With 1,440 minutes in each day, you should be able to set aside 30 of them to do something good for yourself.
Exercise is boring!
Find something to do that is fun for you. Focus on one activity, others crave variety in their routines. Exercise is overwhelming enough. If you set up unrealistic goals for yourself, you sabotage your efforts for maintaining them.
I can’t seem to make it to the gym!
Things come up, and exercise is just not as large a priority as the events that we allow ourselves to be distracted by. People who struggle to fit fitness into their routine change the way they think about exercise. Focus on exercise as a habit you build into your life like taking a shower, or brushing your teeth.
Exercise can be your best ally against weight gain and many diseases associated with overweight. Exercise increases and prolongs calorie burning and increases stamina, fitness, and muscle strength. Physical activity has also been shown to decrease appetite for many individuals and is directly associated with long-term weight control. Remind yourself regularly of the positive benefits you receive from physical activity.
Here are some tips that will help you start and stick with an exercise program:
Choose something you like to do. Make sure it suits you physically, too. For instance, swimming is easier on arthritic joints.
Get a partner. Exercising with someone else can make it more fun.
Vary your routine. You may be less likely to get bored or injured if you change your routine. Walk one day. Bicycle the next. Consider activities like dancing and racket sports, and even chores like chopping wood.
Choose a comfortable time of day. Don’t work out too soon after eating or when it’s too hot or cold outside. Wait until later in the day if you’re too stiff in the morning.
Don’t get discouraged. It can take weeks or months before you notice some of the changes from exercise.
Forget “no pain, no gain.” While a little soreness is normal after you first start exercising, pain isn’t. Stop if you hurt.
Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music or watch TV while riding a stationary bicycle, for example. Find fun things to do, like taking a walk through the zoo. Go dancing. Learn how to play tennis.
The mind can also benefit from exercise. Increases in overall well-being, mood, self-esteem, and the ability to cope with anxiety and stress have been found to be true of regular exercisers. Some people experience improvements in quality-of-life with regular exercise.
By: Steven A Johnson
About the Author:
Steven Johnson is committed to helping people maintain healthy and effective lifestyles. For more information on any other health supplements please visit his website Alternative Health Supplements.
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Improve Your Game!!
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