Combating Stress with Exercise: The Proven Benefits

Name Instructor Course Date How exercise Reduces stress Introduction Everyone experiences stress, and contrary to what people think, not all stress is bad for health. In some instances, stress is usually helpful to the body since it encourages individuals to try harder over some things hence working on individual improvements. Unfortunately, too much stress is usually detrimental to human health and usually has negative consequences. Stress tends to weaken the body's immune system, which in turn causes various health issues like cardiovascular complications, insomnia, high blood pressure, disruptive mood swings, among other health issues. Things that cause stress are called stressors, and the worst bit of it is that people cannot control their stressors but have the mandate to control their stress. One of the ways of managing stress is through exercise. All forms of exercise can be an effective component of stress management, but it depends on individuals; hence, exercise programs should be consistent with recommendations from qualified personnel. Bearing this in mind, one would ask, are there exercises which are better than others as far as stress management is concerned? In response to this, analyzing different ideas from different scholars will offer a clear understanding between stress and exercise. Different forms of exercise are usually used in managing stress and in improving mental health. Exercise helps the body to handle stress by changing the hormone responses. For instance, during exercise, endorphins levels are elevated in plasma, which inhibits the central nervous system. The result is usually a sensation of calm and improved mood (Childs, Emma, and Harriet de Wit, 4-6). On the other hand, whenever somebody engages in physical exercise, the synaptic transmission of monoamines is increased. These include serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline, which act as anti-depressants responsible for behaviour and mood. Still, exercise serves as a distraction on the stressors that one may be having and therefore, one tends to have a calming effect while at the same time an improved retrieval of positive thoughts hence forgetting about the bad moments at that particular time (Childs, Emma, and