Ease Stress and Anxiety with Exercise
I teach an aerobics class at seven o'clock in the morning five days a week. Immediately after, I do an hour of weights three times a week. People ask me how I can keep to this schedule year after year and not feel burned-out with exercise. They ask, "What about the days when you just don't feel like working out?" They say I must be a morning-type of person. Actually, I'm not. I don't wake up all bright-eyed and chirpy and, yes, there are days when I don't feel like getting out of bed. What keeps me going (aside from my loyal students waiting for me) is that I know from experience that exercise makes me feel good. It makes me feel like a brand-new woman every day. When I am stressed out from all my work obligations, I know that a good workout will put me back on an even keel again. I consider my exercise time to be one of the gifts from God to help me deal with the stress and anxiety in my life.

Most of the committed exercisers I know tell me the same thing. They say they can't live without exercise because it just makes them feel so good. They say they sometimes have to drag themselves to exercise because they are feeling lazy that day but they are always glad they didn't skip their workout because of the way they feel after.

Confirmed by scientific research.
Scientific research confirms these personal observations about exercise being a mood lifter and a stress and anxiety reliever. According to scientists Morgan and Goldston (Exercise & Mental Health), "the research is convincingly clear that in both the short term and the long term, physical activity can help reduce stress, anxiety, depression and hostility; enhance coping mechanisms; and increase general well-being and self-concept".

Stress buster.
Exercise works off pent-up energy, diffuses anger and calms you down, says Nancy Lee ("Mental Benefits of Exercise, IDEA Today Magazine, 1990). One might think that exercise exhausts you. On the contrary, it gives you more energy to deal with life's unexpected twists and turns.

Since stress affects the body (upset stomach, tense shoulders, headaches, pain in the neck or lower back, etc.) as well as the mind, exercise experts like Cedric Bryant, Ph.D. ("Working Out Your Problems", Fitness Management Magazine, 1997) think that exercise "toughens" the body so it can deal with tough situations in life. Bryant says that long term exercise lowers heart rate and normalizes blood pressure so when stressful situations come along, the body is better able to deal with them.

Why exercising the body can affect the mind.
Scientists know that exercise can reduce tension, anxiety, stress and depression but still are not quite sure exactly why. Len Kravitz, Ph.D. mentions the following possible theories on why exercising the body can affect the mind ("Exploring the Mysteries of Exercise, IDEA Today Magazine, 1995).

Physical training gives people a sense of mastery or control over themselves and their environment. This feeling of control becomes associated with a sense of well-being that reduce anxiety and positively affects other personality variables.
Physical exercise provides a distraction or diversion from anxiety-provoking thoughts.
Exercise is a form of meditation that relieves depression and anxiety. Alpha brain waves are found in people in a meditative and relaxed state. Researchers in Arizona State University confirm that they have found alpha brain waves during and after a thirty-minute run.
Scientists hypothesize that physical exercise enhances a person's ability to adapt and cope with the environment.
Exercise may improve mood through biochemical processes. However, scientists still aren't sure whether mood improvements are due to an increase in endorphins (an opium-like substance that is naturally produced by the body) or because exercise "detoxifies" the body by quickly getting rid of stress-related hormones.
Ralph La Forge, Ph.D. ("A Closer Look at Endorphins and Exercise, IDEA Today, 1991) also mentions that 'increases in deep-body temperature as a result of prolonged exercise are thought to decrease muscle tension and promote a relaxant effect. This is similar to the response one would have in fifteen minutes in a warm Jacuzzi."
Simply staying away from the stressors in your life can help you relax, says Nancy Lee. She says that both unfocused exercise like running or cycling that allows your mind to drift or focused exercise like aerobics or weightlifting that require concentration can help your mind take a mental vacation from your worries.

Kinds of exercise.
The latest research indicates that both aerobic (walking, running, cycling, etc) and anaerobic (weights) are effective in relieving stress. Research also suggests that you don't need to be aerobically fit to experience the "feeling good" mood improvements. Regular run-of-the-mill exercise like running, brisk walking and swimming were found to be just as effective at reducing stress, anxiety or depression as more esoteric exercise like yoga and tai chi.

Focus on feeling good.
Too many people miss out on the benefits of exercise, both physical and mental, because they focus on weight loss (the number one reason people first start to exercise) and appearance. Exercise does help you lose weight and improve your appearance, but these changes don't happen overnight and you can get discouraged when they don't happen as soon as you would like them to. If you concentrate instead on the 'feel good' aspect of exercise, chances are you will be motivated to continue exercising until all the other benefits of exercise kick in.

Note: The Sports Medicine Association of the Philippines will be holding "Post Competition Phase", Module 1 & 2, on October 23, Saturday, 1999 at Sto. Tomas University. Topics are Overuse Injuries (Dr. Jose Raul Canlas), Pre-Participation Physical Examination & Criteria for Return to Competition (Dr. Alejandro Pineda Jr.), IOC Doping Classes Methods - Anabolic Steroids (Dr. Marion Rivera), and Food Supplements (Tina Juan). For more details, call Bembem at 522-2374 or 521-9123.

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