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Exercise as a means to buffer stress

Audrey Tang | Wednesday 23rd February 2022 8:22pm

Stress is best defined as an emotional and physical state resulting in a physiological reaction where the body is prepared to fight or fly.  It is an evolutionary response to threat and such “preparation” often results in:

•     An increased heart rate

•     Sweating

•     Feelings of tension

•     A rise in blood pressure

•     We may also become more focused on the threat – often to the exclusion of other information

This sensation– which is often rather unpleasant – lasts until the perceived threat has passed, or until the body is no longer able to sustain this state and falls into exhaustion.

The body may display exhaustion in many ways:

-      A “nervous breakdown”

-      Anxiety/Depression

-      Stomach ulcers

-      Heart Attack

The stress response, however, can be sustained for only a certain level of time for each person before it leads to exhaustion.  (Think of the stress response as a rubber band being stretched – if you continue for too long it either breaks, or it becomes flaccid – either way it no longer functions as a rubber band).  Constant stress (which can happen if you continue to suppress emotions) can therefore result in physical damage including heart attack or stomach ulcers.

if we try to cope beyond what we can tolerate; and mental and emotional fatigue can result in:

  • Irritability
  • Not sleeping
  • Not voicing concerns or stopped talking to management despite an “open door” policy
  • A change in eating habits
  • Susceptibility to illness (often because of a depression of the immune system)
  • Tearfulness

which in turn results in repercussions in concentration, interactions and your ability to perform to the standards you want.  It never hurts, if you do notice any of these – or recognise them in yourself – to stop and ask “are you/am I really ok?”

  • Why is strength training in particular such a good activity for reducing stress?

Exercise is a great way of changing the association between the stress response's physical reactions…from fear to the cognitive knowledge that you are working out ie physical exertion is causing the symptoms rather than stress. This change of interpretation can be very helpful when it comes to minimising anxiety.  One way of helping someone manage the early stages of a panic attack can be (if practicable) to get them to run on the spot very fast because then the brain begins to believe that you are not actually scared, just exercising.

Exercise also stimulates the production of “happy hormones” and “neurotransmitters” eg:

  1. DOPAMINE: Also known as the "feel good" hormone - it is a part of our brain's "reward system". Dopamine is what "fires" when we achieve something, for example a new goal in your exercise routine.
  2. SEROTONIN: This is both a hormone and neurotransmtitter which helps regulate our mood, our sleep and even our appetite and digestion (all three of which will in turn affect our overall wellbeing - we tend to "feel better" after a good night's sleep; or when we haven't been "comfort eating") – and this can be generated by exercising especially outdoors in the sun.
  3. ENDORPHINS: Known as "nature's pain relief" and are produced in response to stress or discomfort - and increase when we are engaged in exercise and other activities that we enjoy.
  4. ENDOCANNABINOIDS: These produce a state of "bliss", sometimes also known as the "runner's high" after exercising "in the zone".
  5. GABA: An inhibitory molecule which can slow down the firing of neurons in turn creating a sense of calm – this can be produced by yoga or meditation.

The importance of boosting our happy hormones is taking advantage of the brain's neuroplasticity – which is that the circuitry and chemical balance of the brain can change for the better when we participate in exercise (or other wellbeing pursuit regularly).

Further, exercise encourages more oxygen to reach the back of the brain, which is beneficial for our mental health, and this can be boosted if we are also stimulating our brain through low level concentration eg on a podcast.

As well as bone health through resistance work, strength training in particular has additional benefits:

The nature of strength training is that it is controlled and focused, which in turn regulates the breathing. 

  • This can help produce GABA (generating a sense of calm)
  • The focus required can act as a stimulant for our focus and again increase the oxygenation benefits as would listening to a podcast
  • The act of focusing also gets us “outside our head” – unlike stress at the dawn of civilisation, 21 Century stress is as much of our own over-thinking creation as it can be physical.  Further to which, if you are in a cycle of negative automatic thoughts, it can be very difficult to break, with “calm down” simply serving to wind you up more.  One of the tips I would give clients is to focus on counting paving stones, or bricks rather than just thinking “I must breathe” as this gets you outside your head – the counting and the focus involved in strength work can do the same.
  • It is also notable that exercise is a practice that can be done at any time – ie when you are already feeling good (and not just as a response to channelling the negative energy at a time of stress).  As such, you are building these healthy habits at a time before you need them, and by doing so this preparation can act as a buffer enabling you to stand stronger emotionally and mentally, as well as physically.

 

Ways we can start to build in an exercise routine

  1. Add a walk into your daily "to do list" - although this doesn't need to be done formally, it can be parking a little further away from the entrance, or actively remembering to go somewhere else for lunch - rather than simply sit at your desk. It can also be a 10 minute walk just to breathe in the fresh air, and maybe add some stretching into that!
  2. If you are starting to exercise eg: running or swimming, while you don't need to spend loads, it can be helpful to have some pieces of kit to make the activity more comfortable...for example, trainers that support your ankles, or a swimming cap and goggles can make a world of difference in your choosing to continue.
  3. "Little and often" - you do not need to run 5k off the bat...trying a program such as "Couch to 5k" builds you into the routine of running gradually...this is an especially important change in mindset if you "used to run triathlons/marathons"...you don't need to recapture your previous personal bests immediately, a lot will have changed including age and body!!
  4. While social media can help you feel accountable, don't compare yourself to others (unfollow any accounts that don't bring you joy, or that make you feel bad) - you are not them, they are not you!
  5. Choose the exercise you like, and don't be afraid of trying things out - you do not need to commit at once, sometimes YouTube, as long as you are safe, can be a good way to give something a go and decide if you want to join a formal class.

Dr Audrey Tang hosts The Wellbeing Lounge on Tuesday at 9pm. This week's show is on bone health for ALL ages!

 

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