Exercise relieves stress by making your body physically healthy and able to function more efficiently. This will give you better coping mechanisms when exposed to the stressors in your life.
Better physical health will keep the stressors from robbing your health. In other words, exercise is your weapon of defense. The bad guys (stress) will always be there banging on your doors while the good guys produced through exercise will engage your mind in some vigorous activity drawing your thoughts away from the stressors and putting them in "time-out."
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| Image Credit : www.health.harvard.edu |
One of the hormones increased in the blood stream is good, but when high levels of cortisol are caused by chronic stress this can do a number on your physical and mental health.
Do you suffer from persistent stress? Are you feeling what it is doing to you physically? Mentally? For your own health and well-being try going the "healthy adaptation" route. Plan ahead, get organized, and try to identify the source of
your stress. If getting stuck in rush hour traffic causes you grief then choose to make it "me time."
Listen to your favorite music, memorize poetry, or listen to audio books. This is finding a healthy way to adapt then to pound on your steering wheel and chew off your nails one by one.
Yes, there are stressors that hit us and are hard to ignore. They may drag us way down so finding constructive ways to adapt may be very challenging and overwhelming for us.
Our lifestyle is all about choices we make even though some of the stressors we face may not be by choice. We can either succumb to the stress or we can start exercising regularly to build up our defenses. Remember,
exercise relieves stress!
Physical activity lifts our mood by increasing endorphins in your brain. The effect can last 12 hours post-workout, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
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| Image Credit : www.adaa.org |
So what are you waiting for! Grab a good pair of running shoes and your buddy and hit the trails. Whether it is a brisk walk,
jog, or run, you will feel refreshed, your mind cleared and ready to tackle come what may when you return.
