Exercise and Stress

Exercise is known to improve mood, reduce depression and anxiety and increase ability to deal with stress. Studies have shown that exercise can be more effective than medication for mild to moderate depression. So how does exercise help with mental health?

Here are a few ways in which exercise can improve mood and increase ability to deal with stress.

• Neurotransmitters People often talk about the runners high or the production of endorphins whilst exercising. At low intensities, the feel good factor from exercise comes mainly from neurotransmitters such as serotonin that are released during exercise.
  
• Time out Exercise is a great way to get away from the pressures of daily life and to take your mind away from stressors
  
• Thermogenic effect Exercise increases the body temperature which can help create a relaxed state in the same way as having a hot bath.
  
• Social Just being with other people can help improve mood. Exercise is a great way of meeting new people with a common interest.
• Accomplishments Achieving results in terms of physical changes such as weight loss and increased strength or improved skills and ability to perform activities has been shown to alleviate depression.
  

Choosing the right type of exercise can also help to balance the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system gives us our 'fight or flight' response. This is the stress response part of the autonomic nervous system. This helps us to respond to danger. By increasing stress chemicals in the body, heart rate, blood pressure and blood glucose levels increase. This response is extremely beneficial if we need to think and move quickly to get away from danger. In today's environment, this stress response is generally created whilst we are sat at our desks or sat in a traffic jam. Without an outlet for this stress response blood glucose levels, blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol levels remain high, and over time will have a detrimental effect on health. Exercise can help reduce these stress chemicals and the stress response in the body.

Exercises such as yoga or Walking Meditation and Energiser type exercisers will help stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system. This is the opposite branch of the autonomic nervous system, sometimes referred to as 'rest and digest' and helps us to relax, recharge out batteries, digest food and sleep.

Just including 10-30 minutes a day of walking and low intensity movement based exercise can be incredibly effective to improve ability to deal with stress .