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A minute walk is as good a place to start as anything else. The exercise group had lower levels of stress-related hormones and reduced sympathetic nervous system responses that may explain these findings. As will be seen in a future Stress Bulletin, regular exercise also improves cardiovascular and immune system function. Paul J. Rosch, M. Interval training, which entails brief 60 to 90 seconds bursts of intense activity at almost full effort, can be a safe, effective and efficient way of gaining many of the benefits of longer duration exercise.
What's most important is making regular physical activity part of your lifestyle. Whatever you do, don't think of exercise as just one more thing on your to-do list. Find an activity you enjoy — whether it's an active tennis match or a meditative meander down to a local park and back — and make it part of your regular routine.
Any form of physical activity can help you unwind and become an important part of your approach to easing stress. There is a problem with information submitted for this request.
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This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Healthy Lifestyle Stress management. Products and services. Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress Exercise in almost any form can act as a stress reliever. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.
Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Most people use a mantra, a simple word or syllable that is repeated over and over again in a rhythmic, chant-like fashion. You can repeat your mantra silently or say it aloud. It's the act of repetition that counts, not the content of the phrase; even the word "one" will do nicely. Some meditators prefer to stare at a fixed object instead of repeating a mantra.
In either case, the goal is to focus your attention on a neutral object, thus blocking out ordinary thoughts and sensations. Meditation is the most demanding of the autoregulation techniques, but it's also the most beneficial and rewarding.
Once you've mastered meditation, you'll probably look forward to devoting 20 minutes to it once or twice a day. Stressed muscles are tight, tense muscles. By learning to relax your muscles, you will be able to use your body to dissipate stress. Muscle relaxation takes a bit longer to learn than deep breathing.
It also takes more time. But even if this form of relaxation takes a little effort, it can be a useful part of your stress control program. Here's how it works:. Progressive muscle relaxation is best performed in a quiet, secluded place. You should be comfortably seated or stretched out on a firm mattress or mat. Until you learn the routine, have a friend recite the directions or listen to them on a tape, which you can prerecord yourself. Progressive muscle relaxation focuses sequentially on the major muscle groups.
Tighten each muscle and maintain the contraction 20 seconds before slowly releasing it. As the muscle relaxes, concentrate on the release of tension and the sensation of relaxation. Start with your facial muscles, then work down the body. The entire routine should take 12 to 15 minutes. Practice it twice daily, expecting to master the technique and experience some relief of stress in about two weeks. Few things are more stressful than illness. Many forms of exercise reduce stress directly, and by preventing bodily illness, exercise has extra benefits for the mind.
Regular physical activity will lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol, and reduce your blood sugar. Exercise cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, colon and breast cancers, osteoporosis and fractures, obesity, depression, and even dementia memory loss. Exercise slows the aging process, increases energy, and prolongs life. Except during illness, you should exercise nearly every day.
That doesn't necessarily mean hitting the gym or training for a marathon. But it does mean 30 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise such as walking or 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous exercise.
More is even better, but the first steps provide the most benefit. Aim to walk at least two miles a day, or do the equivalent amount of another activity. You can do it all at once or in to minute chunks if that fits your schedule better.
Add a little strength training and stretching two to three times a week, and you'll have an excellent, balanced program for health and stress reduction. And if you need more help with stress, consider autoregulation exercises involving deep breathing or muscular relaxation.
Remember, too, that mental exercises are the time-honored ways to cut stress see box. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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How does exercise reduce stress, and can exercise really be relaxing? How exercise reduces stress Aerobic exercise is key for your head, just as it is for your heart. Autoregulation exercise and stress relief Regular physical activity keeps you healthy as it reduces stress. Breathing exercise reduces stress Even without formal meditation and controlled breathing, the gentle muscle stretching of yoga can reduce stress.
Here's how deep breathing exercises work: 1. Hold your breath briefly. Exhale slowly, thinking "relax.
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