RECIPE FOR REDUCING STRESS: GET UP & MOVE
Too much to do, too little time. Sound familiar? It seems like my life gets busier by the year. When I was much younger and looked to the far future, I thought it would be the opposite. I thought at 75, I’d probably be retired and spending time working in my vegetable garden every day, seeing my kids and grandkids regularly, going on cruises and exotic vacations. But things haven’t exactly happened that way! I’m still producing an art festival every year, putting together a new senior fitness business, and hoping enough cash comes in to keep up with expenses.
Still, I like my life just fine. I probably don’t worry more than I used to, but I now have less patience with little irritations that in the past I just shrugged off. So I sometimes find myself tense, in a bad mood, anxious, or even angry. Thank goodness there’s a simple antidote to this stress! I get up—sometimes rather slowly—from feeling sorry for myself and go out for an hour bike ride or an hour jogging or a long swim or just a hike with the dog around the hills in back of my house.
Amazingly, this almost always works. I don’t know about a “runner’s high,” but some kind of “feel good” chemicals seem to be going through my body (more on these below). Also I focus on the rhythm of my movements and on my body rather than my mind. After a while my optimism returns and maybe, most important, the problem that I was angry or depressed about becomes minor and I often come up with a good way to solve it. Thus even with “too much to do,” fitting in physical activity can in the long run become time efficient.
I’m sure you too at times develop stress. And I bet that if you get up and move you too can reduce or completely relieve it. To give us more details on how this works I’m presenting excerpts from a Harvard Medical School article updated in July 2018, Exercising to relax
How does exercise reduce stress, and can exercise really be relaxing?
“Rest and relaxation. It’s such a common expression that it has become a cliché. And although rest really can be relaxing, the pat phrase causes many to overlook the fact that exercise can also be relaxing. It’s true for most forms of physical activity.
Stress comes in many forms and produces many symptoms. Mental symptoms range from worry and irritability to restlessness and insomnia, anger and hostility, or sensations of dread, foreboding, and even panic.
Mental stress can also produce physical symptoms. Muscles are tense, resulting in fidgetiness, taut facial expressions, headaches, or neck and back pain. Clenched jaw muscles can produce jaw pain. The skin can be pale, sweaty, and clammy. Intestinal symptoms range from “butterflies” to heartburn, cramps, or diarrhea. A pounding pulse is common, as is chest tightness. Rapid breathing is also typical.
The physical symptoms of stress are themselves distressing. In fact, the body’s response to stress can feel so bad that it produces additional mental stress. During the stress response, then, mind and body can amplify each other’s distress signals, creating a vicious cycle of tension and anxiety.
Because the root cause of stress is emotional, it is best controlled by gaining insight, reducing life problems that trigger stress, and modifying behavior. But stress control can — and should — also involve the body. Aerobic exercise is one approach; physical fitness will help promote mental fitness.
How exercise reduces stress
Aerobic exercise is key for your head, just as it is for your heart. You may not agree at first; indeed, the first steps are the hardest, and in the beginning, exercise will be more work than fun. But as you get into shape, you’ll begin to tolerate exercise, then enjoy it, and finally depend on it.
Regular aerobic exercise will bring remarkable changes to your body, your metabolism, your heart, and your spirits. It has a unique capacity to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress. It’s a common experience among endurance athletes and has been verified in clinical trials that have successfully used exercise to treat anxiety disorders and clinical depression. If athletes and patients can derive psychological benefits from exercise, so can you.
How can exercise contend with problems as difficult as anxiety and depression? There are several explanations, some chemical, others behavioral.
The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. Endorphins are responsible for the “runner’s high” and for the feelings of relaxation and optimism that accompany many hard workouts — or, at least, the hot shower after your exercise is over.
Behavioral factors also contribute to the emotional benefits of exercise. As your waistline shrinks and your strength and stamina increase, your self-image will improve. You’ll earn a sense of mastery and control, of pride and self-confidence. Your renewed vigor and energy will help you succeed in many tasks, and the discipline of regular exercise will help you achieve other important lifestyle goals.
Exercise and sports also provide opportunities to get away from it all and to either enjoy some solitude or to make friends and build networks. Exercise is play and recreation; when your body is busy, your mind will be distracted from the worries of daily life and will be free to think creatively.
Almost any type of exercise will help. Many people find that using large muscle groups in a rhythmic, repetitive fashion works best; call it “muscular meditation,” and you’ll begin to understand how it works. Walking and jogging are prime examples. Even a simple 20-minute stroll can clear the mind and reduce stress. But some people prefer vigorous workouts that burn stress along with calories. That’s one reason ellipticals are so popular. And the same stretching exercises that help relax your muscles after a hard workout will help relax your mind as well.”
So there’s your recipe for reducing stress: Just get up and move!