Stress and Exercise

Bills, debts, traffic queues, work deadlines, family issues... There are an increasing amount of stressors in our fast paced modern lives, all of which have detrimental health effects. Today's article therefore is going to tackle stress and exercise.

Stress can be defined as a mental or emotional strain or suspense and is typically characterized by headaches, irritability, muscular tensions, depression, anxiety and many more nasties... Furthermore long term stress can lead to more harmful conditions such as heart issues, hypertension (high blood pressure), weight gain and prolonged headaches.

Thankfully though there are many ways we can reduce stress in our lives. Initially being more organised can be a great start, prioritising life's essentials and non essentials. Sleep too has a big impact. With regular sleeping patterns the body is in better routine and all systems function more efficiently. The two main areas we are concerned with however are exercise and diet.

Any type of regular exercise is great for reducing stress. Endorphins are released (our bodies 'feel good' chemical) and we can feel a sense of accomplishment and clear some of those anxious cobwebs hanging around. On the very 'low' days it may feel like the last thing we would want to do, when actually it would be highly beneficial indeed.

Lastly our bodies need good fuel to run healthily. High levels of sugar, alcohol, caffeine etc is going to only make the situation worse. They may feel like short term fixes but they are detrimental to long term health. Plenty of water, fruit and vegetables and a good well balanced diet will give the right amount of nutrition to aid energy levels and sustain the appetite.

So my top tips are...

1.       Exercise regularly - Feeling good and looking good is great for our self-esteem and therefore stress levels.

2.       Have plenty of sleep - Decide on a time for both going to bed and getting up, stick closely to it so as to train the body into a healthy routine.

3.       Eat and drink the right things - lots of nutrition and not too much of the bad things!

Sticking to these tips will give you a far bigger chance of dealing with the stress that may be just around the corner. So get out there, take some exercise and look forward to a brighter, less stressed future.

Oliver Kelly 2010 ©