$Unique_ID{BRK00145}
$Pretitle{Mental and Emotional Conditions}
$Title{Can Exercise Relieve Stress?}
$Subject{stress exercise reduction}
$Volume{E-23}
$Log{
General Benefits of Exercise*0003209.scf
Benefits to the Nervous System*0003201.scf}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Can Exercise Relieve Stress?


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QUESTION:  I know exercise has many benefits, but the one I need most may not
be one of them.  Can exercise relieve stress?

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ANSWER:  The best answer appears to be "probably yes".  Many researchers
believe that regular exercise can help people cope with the stress of everyday
life.  People who run, walk, or cycle regularly swear that it makes them feel
better mentally as well as physically.
     The trouble is that, although there have been several studies on the
effects of exercise on stress, there is no real firm answer as to exactly how
or how much exercise helps relieve stress, as an article in The Physician and
Sportsmedicine noted recently.  While exercise and its physical effects can be
measured, stress is both hard to define and hard to measure.  To compound
matters, most researchers are working with aerobic exercise (running, cycling,
etc.) and not evaluating anaerobic exercise (weight lifting, for example).  It
is also one thing to do lab tests and another to extrapolate the results into
real life.
     Exercise is thought to moderate stress because it conditions the body to
recover from the physical effects of stress.  The body reacts to stress by
raising the heart rate, among other things.  Your heart may pound for several
minutes after a tense moment, for example.  Aerobic exercise also raises the
heart rate but it quickly returns to normal in someone who is fit, and this
quick recovery carries over to lower a heart rate raised by an emotional
stress.  Other physical effects of stress also return to normal quicker in
people who exercise regularly, and this quick recovery is thought to mean that
the effects of stress is moderated.
     Exercise may also help prevent the long term effects of stress.  People
who have undergone large amounts of stress are more likely to become ill or
depressed.  However, studies have shown that aerobically fit people are less
likely to become ill or depressed despite periods of high pressure in their
life.
     But exercise may moderate stress in ways that are not physical at all.
People use exercise as a break from their daily routine.  It may serve as an
channel for repressed anger and frustration.  In addition, most people
exercise in a group, a health club, on a basketball court, and the social
atmosphere that is present may act as a relief from stress.  On the flip side
is the competitive stress that some people add to exercise.  A person who
approaches each tennis game as if it's a war may be adding stress to his or
her life rather than helping relieve it.
     There are enough positive rewards to exercise, that my advice to you is
to give a try, you may just find it is the answer you have been looking for.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
