Feeling Stressed? According to a American Psychological
Association article, “Exercise Fuels the Brain’s Stress Buffers,”exercising regularly can decrease the amount of stress and anxiety an
individual experiences. Exercise decreases an individual’s stress level by
increasing the amount of norepinephrine released, enabling the body to respond to stress more effectively. Exercise also allows an individual to practice responding to stress, which helps them respond to other stressors in their lives successfully.
In addition, other experiments have been done to measure the
changes in mood states of individuals involved in an exercise program. For
example, Guzkowska and Sionek (2009) conducted a study measuring the change in
mood states of a group of women following a 12-week exercise program. The result
of the experiment showed that exercise not only decreases the amount of stress
an individual feels, but it also increases the amount of optimism in their
lives. This increase in optimism can then encourage individuals to engage in
additional pro-health behaviors. Through this research study, women had a large
improvement in their psychological well-being as well as an improvement in
their “sense of control of their own behavior and environment.”
Exercise can contribute to a healthier lifestyle and make you feel happier. Going to
the gym or going for a run outside gives you the time for a mind break from all
of the other stressors you may have in your life. Summertime is
the perfect time of year to decrease your stress level by enjoying the weather and engaging in physical activities
outside!
Sources:
Guszkowska, M. and Sionek, S. (2009), Changes in mood states
and selected personality traits in women participating in a 12-week exercise
program. Human Movement, 10: 163-169.
Doi: 10.2478/v10038-009-0014-2.
No comments:
Post a Comment