Exercising has many benefits and is recommended to all persons, irrespective of age, gender, height and weight.  Exercising promotes good health and improves the overall efficiency of the body and that of the various body parts and organs. Apart from these benefits, exercising has also proved very effective in reducing stress and eliminating anxiety.  There are many ways in which exercising or being physically active can act as a stress reliever. To some of the reasons why and how exercise relieves stress, you can go through the following information:

Exercise Can Help In Reducing Stress

  1. Exercising tends to improve the overall health of a person and this can lead them to feel a general sense of well-being.  This very feeling of well-being can pep people up and reduce their anxiety of stress levels.
  2. Any form of exercising such as walking, running, jogging, and using gym equipments has an indirect effect on our minds and helps us to relax. So even if you exercise for just a few minutes everyday but regularly, this will go a long way to provide you the much needed relief from stress.
  3. What physical activity does is that it pumps up your endorphins which are the brain’s feel good neurotransmitters and thus directly influence your mood in general. Thus engaging in a game of tennis for 30 minutes every day or going for a fast paced jog can leave you feeling relaxed and even happy!
  4. Exercising is often considered as a form of meditation in motion.  It has been proved that a few laps in the pool or a game of basketball with your buddies can make you forget about your tensions, irritations and other things that cause any kind of mental pressure.  This also helps to improve your overall concentration and focus and shows better results at work or at school, thereby making you feel less stressed and happier.
  5. If you begin to exercise on a regular basis, you will surely get back in shape or look fitter. This will lead you to gain a lot of self-confidence and may also even lower the symptoms of depression caused due to physical reasons of not looking good or of not being active enough.  Thus exercising can give you a command over not only your body but also on your life.
  6. Exercising burns away the chemicals like norepinephrine and cortisol which are found to cause stress.  Thus due to the burning of these stress causing chemicals, you tend to find relief and feel better. Thus physical activity can reduce symptoms of stress such as negative thoughts, uncertainty and anxiety.
  7. As mentioned above, endorphins are released during exercising. These endorphins act as analgesics and tend to reduce the sensation of pain.  Since these endorphins also act like sedatives, they improve sleep, thereby decreasing the chance of getting stressed due to lack of sleep.

Some form of exercises which can ward off depression are cycling, biking, gardening, dancing, golf, jogging, playing tennis, swimming, walking, yoga, aerobics, mowing, raking and doing housework such as mopping and sweeping.

Photo Credit By: livefitthrive.com