Fitness and Stress Relief

Stress is a real killer; it contributes to the illnesses of thousands upon thousands of people, and it is known to contribute to the presence of heart attacks and strokes as well. Needless to say, stress is not something that anybody needs in their life, and those who have the best stress management techniques are going to be some of the healthiest people in the end. Those who do not have some means of finding relief from their stress may find that they have more frequencies of illness and such, and that is important. Different people handle their stress in different ways, but many people find that exercise and effective stress relief techniques go hand in hand.

How do Exercise and Stress Management Go Together?

It doesn't take a lot of exercise to help reduce your stress level; about 15 to 30 minutes of exercise is necessary for stress management purposes although some fitness purposes do require that your heart rate be elevated for an hour during exercise. Not only do the different exercise moves provide a physical way to work off stress, but there is a less physical side to it also. Exercise releases certain adrenal hormones and endorphins, chemicals that your body uses to be happier. When you exercise you release these chemicals and your brain makes you happier in return. Of course a happier person is less prone to stress, and that is one of the main ways that exercise and stress relief go hand in hand.

It's About Finding a Medium

One of the things about fitness and relieving stress is that you have to find the type of workout that works best for you as far as stress management is concerned. This is important, because if you choose too light a workout you may become bored and give up on your routine. Anything that is too hard will just add to the amount of stress on your body. Find something that falls somewhere in between, that allows you to get the workout that you need and get your heart rate up and those hormones pumping and your stress level down in turn.

Get a Stress Workout Buddy

So you have a real problem with stress; who doesn't? Chances are that there is someone else out there who has a problem with stress, and they are not too difficult to find. Find another overworked soccer mom or a person who works at your place of employment with you. You will find that more people have extra stress to deal with than you thought, and you are less alone than you probably would have ever dreamed.

Not only can finding another person give you a buddy to do your stress relief workout, but it also gives you another person to talk it out with. This is a great way to gain some perspective on your life and a great way to get some ideas from another person about what the best ways to handle stress are. The people in your life and at your place of employment can probably offer more insight than you would ever think that they would be able to.

Change the Way You Think About Exercise

One of the reasons why people fail to exercise is because of the way that they look at the task. It is one of those things that are not for the lazy; or perhaps it is. If you think you are a lazy person, the best way to turn that on its head is to go outside of your norms and take up an exercise routine.

Stop thinking about exercise as something that you have to do to lose weight and consider it the cheapest stress management technique out there. Some people pay thousands for a therapist to get the same kind of relief.

Do it for your health, but your mental health as much as that of your body. Not exercising and remaining sedentary is self abuse in so many ways, and those who have the highest levels of stress are those who have the lowest levels of exercise. If you find that you really would rather do nothing than something, check your stress. Relief from stress is an important part of your everyday health, and effectively managing with a good fitness routine can keep your heart, body, and mind in better shape.

Carlos Twine is a sport enthusiast who gained substantial knowledge about stress relief strategies through his higher scientific education and through his own life experience as a successful sport counselor.

Discover more about effective stress tips on stress-relief-resources.com