Exercise: Miracle Stress Reliever?

“Exercise Reduces Stress"

Ever heard this theory before?
Same! I’ve even experienced it! Gone into a workout feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious and walked away feeling calm, relaxed, and regulated again.
But how many of us actually understand how or why exercise reduces our stress?

Let’s dive into it and explore why this is!

1. Increases Endorphins
   This makes me think of the movie Legally Blonde when Elle Woods declares, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands!" Physical activity increases your brain’s production of “feel-good” neurotransmitters, aka endorphins. As your endorphin levels increase, your stress and anxiety levels decrease! It’s simple, the more you exercise, the more endorphins are released into your bloodstream, and the better you feel.

2. Boosts Mood
   Aside from endorphins, exercise also creates a positive change in your brain chemicals, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which play roles in regulating mood, anxiety, and overall cognitive function. It also increases your self-confidence, coping abilities, energy, and sense of control which can increase your mood and reduce feelings of stress.

3. Improves Sleep
   Physical activity can dramatically improve your sleep which can help you better deal with day-to-day stress. On the flip side, when you’re stressed your sleep is often disrupted. This leaves you ill-equipped to properly handle stresses during the day. Exercise will naturally help you achieve better, deeper, and more quality sleep. Consider it like taking a natural sleeping aid!

   4. Meditation in Motion
   (This is one of my favorite reasons!) Much like meditation, exercise forces you to focus and connect to your breath and body, putting aside any external or internal stresses and anxiety. Taking an hour out of your day to focus solely on physical activity can shed the day’s irritations, grievances, and stress. It promotes a feeling of calm, leaving you feeling clear and focused, similar to the effects of meditation!

   5. Prepares You to Cope with Stress
   (This is the most fascinating one, in my opinion!) Physical activity actually imitates feelings of stress in the body (think of a fight or flight response) while it simultaneously trains your body and nervous system to work together to process, cope, and release those feelings. It’s like a dress rehearsal for your body to handle real-world stressors!

These are just a handful of the ways exercise increases your ability to handle stress while lowering the negative effects it has on your body.

Perhaps next time you finish a workout feeling calm, cool, and collected, you’ll have a better understanding of all the things going on behind the scenes helping you feel stress-free!