Bell’s Broadcast: Stressed? How can stress be managed through exercise?

Over the past 3 years during the current Covid-19 Pandemic, stress and anxiety levels have increased. Between the 16^th of March 2020 and 9^th of January 2022, almost 25 million Medicare Benefits Scheme subsidised mental health-related services were processed. This is largely related to the covid outbreak.

 

Today, Annabel and the Longevity Exercise Physiology teams at Drummoyne, Edgecliff, Marrickville, Bella Vista, Randwick, Pymble, Balmain, Neutral Bay, Coburg – Melbourne, and Barrie, Ontario – Canada delve into the ways that exercise can help in relieving stress and why it is important to maintain steady levels of stress across your week.

Exercise can be an effective component of alleviating stress and managing your anxiety levels. The current suggestions show that exercise programs that follow the guidelines can assist in a variety of ways. Other health professionals including psychologists or psychiatrists might be needed as well to help develop strategies for managing stressors that produce chronic and acute episodic stress. Getting your blood moving through the form of exercise releases endorphins and can improve your mood almost instantaneously. Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean power lifting at the gym or training for a marathon. A short walk around the park or simply standing up to stretch during a break can offer immediate relief in a stressful situation.

What exactly is stress?

Stress is a frequently used term, and it is often used with different meanings. The common definition for stress is the disruption of the body’s homeostasis or a state of disharmony in response to a real or perceived threat or challenge. A threatening or challenging situation is referred to as a stressor. When a situation like this occurs, the body prepares to respond to the challenge or threat. As this occurs, the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems respond by producing the hormones within the body (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol). The result of this hormone production is a cascade of physiological reactions that make up the stress response.

 

“The common definition for stress is the disruption of the body’s homeostasis or a state of disharmony in response to a real or perceived threat or challenge.”

 

Stress and exercise have been extensively researched and it is largely focused on aerobic exercise. Research findings have been able to identify that people report feeling calmer after 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity. This calming effect on the body can last up to several hours after completion of the exercise. Recently, Tai Chi has been researched in depth, and the role of mind and body and how it can impact anxiety levels. Being physically active improves the way the body handles stress because of the changes in the hormone responses, and exercise affects the neurotransmitters in the brain including dopamine and serotonin that are within the body to affect mood and behaviours. It is recommended that 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week is completed to reduce stress. Stress can either have a positive and negative impact on your mental and physical wellbeing, but it is important to keep these levels steady.

 

“Research findings have been able to identify that people report feeling calmer after 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity.”

 

If you need someone to help you implement exercise into your weekly routine give Longevity Exercise Physiology Drummoyne, Edgecliff, Marrickville, Bella Vista, Randwick, Pymble, Balmain, Neutral Bay, Coburg – Melbourne, and Barrie, Ontario – Canada a call on 1300 964 002 today!

 

Written by Annabel Bergman