How Exercise & Stress Relief Are Related

If you're looking for some lasting stress relief, there is probably nothing better for you than exercise and physical activity.  This might come as bad news to some who immediately realize that you only get exercise and physical activity through effort and work on your part; you can't simply sit on the couch and "wish" stress relief upon yourself.  Rarely does this happen.

But how is exercise and stress relief related?  Why is it that physical activity, one of the last things anyone wants when they're stressed, is so healthy and healing when it comes to tension?  Let's look at that subject a bit closer here.

Exercise is a great means of stress relief because it helps to loosen tense and cramped muscles.  When you're under stress the muscles have a tendency to stiffen up, as if ready for action.  This is a very primal response to tension that you may not even be aware of.  However, when muscles are stiff and tense, blood cannot flow freely in those areas and blood is very necessary for the health and healing of muscles.  So it's a vicious circle - tension creates stiff muscles which in turn means they are often in pain, which creates more tension.  Some easy stretching and light exercise can provide stress relief by increasing blood circulation so that those muscles can loosen up and be healthy.  This means the body will be in less pain and will feel looser and healthier.

Physical activity also increases blood circulation to all areas of the body as well.  This can provide a measure of stress relief because blood is a healing agent; it carries nutrients as well as oxygen to all the body's cells.  This means the cells of the brain as well!  When you increase your blood circulation it's like you're actually feeding and healing your brain more often.  This means that you're better equipped to handle the stress that life throws at you.  You can achieve stress relief because you're thinking clearly and are able to address and solve problems you have rather than allowing them to multiply and overwhelm you.

Exercise also releases endorphins, those "feel good" chemicals and hormones that give you stress relief by making you feel calm and relaxed.  You might not realize this because of course exercising energizes you just as you're engaging in it, but once those endorphins are released you feel more at ease and can sleep better as well, which in turn can lead to stress relief the next day.  If you're still not too happy about needing to exercise to get relief from tension and stress, remember that this doesn't necessarily mean in a gym.  You can get plenty of physical activity just by playing with your kids, taking up a sport, or getting a dog that will need walking.  The key is to be active on a regular basis, even if it's twenty or thirty minutes every day, in order to get lasting stress relief.