by Samar Owais

Created on: November 13, 2008   Last Updated: November 26, 2008

As humans, we're not strangers to stress and have our own unique ways of dealing with it. Mostly, we tend to ignore it which can prove to be very dangerous. Stress, if untreated has been known to lead to emotional and physical problems such as depression, anxiety, ulcers, nervous breakdowns, high blood pressure and even heart attacks.

There are two kinds of stress. Acute stress is short term and arises from situations and incidents such as a barely avoiding an accident, a difficult deadline to an assignment, a child's flu etc. Chronic stress is for developed when the stress inducing situation is for longer periods of time. Examples include personal problems such as divorce or health, difficult and highly competitive work environment, financial worries etc.

Exercising to help reduce stress was considered a ludicrous idea by many when the concept was first introduced. Many argued that when a body is already stressed, how would exercise help in stress reduction by putting the body under more strain than it already is? To answer that question, it is important to understand what happens to a body when a person is stressed.

Shortness of breath, increased heartbeat, tensed muscles, and headaches are all symptoms of stress. When a body is stressed it released chemicals in the body like adrenaline into our blood causing our body to respond by increasing our heart and respiratory rate. Our senses are more alert and we gain heightened perception. In short, our bodies are ready for action. This might not sound like a bad response to stress but consider that when our body responds in this way, it takes away energy from other organs and parts of body. To give the needed energy to the body in a stress, it takes away energy from digestive system, our cell growth is slowed and our immune system weakens as the stress hormones hinder the work of cell repair system in our body.

So how does exercise help? While stress induces hormones in the blood stream that zap energy from other functions, exercise induces hormones that burn the stress chemicals in our body. When we're in stress, our body is geared up for action. When it doesn't receive any outlet to burn off the stress, it stays pent up and eventually leads to many health problems. Exercise helps the body get into action and burn off the stressful hormones. It produces chemicals called Endorphins in our blood that counteract the stress chemicals. They leave us feeling good and healthy.

There are many ways to get the body into action in order to deal with stress. Think about what sport you enjoy. Tennis, swimming, running, walking, cycling are all great forms of exercise. Working out in a gym is also beneficial. Fifteen minutes of cardiovascular exercises is great in dealing with stress. Exercise not only deals with stress, it improves the over-all health and self esteem of a person. It leaves you feeling fresh and alert. You sleep better, eat better, lose weight and generally have a healthier lifestyle.

The chosen form of exercise need not be challenging. A simple twenty minute walk around the neighborhood helps too. Yoga is a form of exercise and meditation that reduces stress. It is less demanding; therefore it is the perfect beginners exercise. Begin slowly, building up your exercise level gradually. As you feel better, the exercising would come easily and you would even want to continue doing them as a routine.

Stress and exercise have been proven to be a combination that works wonders for individuals. Stress is an inevitable part of life. Some stress is also good. A life without stress would be monotonous and boring but too much of anything is bad. Exercise is the perfect way to eliminate stress and improve your health and life.

Learn more about this author, Samar Owais.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.