Home
>
Stress Management
>
The Scoop on Stress and Exercise

The Scoop on Stress and Exercise

Stress is defined as a response by your body to any demand made upon it and a 'demand' means a change.

Did you know different stress levels have names? For example "Neutral" stress is the amount of work it takes to maintain normal body function. If we give stress a scale of 1- 10 where Neutral stress would be 1. Lets take a look at Success and what it implies. Believe it or not success is a stressor, called "Eustress", which stems from the word euphoria. We can give eustress a quantitative number like 5 because it is a high intensity feeling and brings many ramifications and changes.

Now we'll take a brief peak at failure. Failure means challenge, or worst of all defeat. So failure can generate what is called "Distress", which, we'll give a number of 5 because it's implications for change are compound and also intense. I'm relinquishing the good and bad judgements on stressors and trying to quantify them based on the change from homeostasis-the norm perspective.

If our highest stress level is 10 this is when we experience all of the classic "fight and flight" signs of our body preparing for action. Hormones, like adrenaline, surge. 6 Your heartbeat and blood pressure soar. Your palms sweat. 7 Your short of breath. Your hair stands on end. 8 You've got a flock of geese flapping in your belly. Your blood sugar rises and your muscles tense. 9 Your mind is focused on fighting or flighting. If you get to 10 you'll probably mess your knickers because your system has gone berserk from over stimulation and your body will surrender. Though the odors may stop your adversary from taking that first bite. These effects, up to 9.9 unchanged for thousands of years, helped prehistoric humans survive!

The problem here is that the physical and emotional manifestations of the stress response are designed to dissipate when the immediate physical threat is over. But when they don't, over time, these over used hormones cause heart disease, hypertension, suppressed immunity, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and even depression.

The greatest defense against these physical manifestations is to realize they are caused by your hard wired prehistoric emotions. For instance, if you're late for work and you've just missed the last subway. What do you do? You can either panic, or you can just accept the situation. Relax, take a deep breath and wait for the next one. If you can change a situation, do it, if you can't, then you adapt.

Understanding stress and its effects can help you use it to your own advantage, and turn potential "stressors" into positive challenges. Something I have always believed and now seems to be coming to light with scientific evidence is the fact that stress can actually be good for you!

The Latest Study on Stress

This is a study done recently with mice in a stressful situation. What the researchers did was they take a bunch of mice that were bullied repeatedly by a nasty mouse for a couple of hours for six consecutive days. At the end of that period the researchers infected the picked on mice with a strain of influenza that also infects humans. Other mice, not subjected to the bullying, were also infected so the scientists could measure the effects of the stress.

The bullied mice were actually better able to ward off the virus than the ones that had not had to deal with an aggressive foe. So the scientists changed the name of the stress test to "repeated defeat.". By whatever name, the stress apparently improved the memory of the special "T cells," that run the immune system.

Low levels of stress produce hormones that help us meet various challenges, so a little of a bad thing can be good. Of course, there's still some question about whether humans will react the same as mice, but the mouse immune response is comparable to that of the humans and that's why they chose the mice.

Did we need this experiment to prove our point? Hardly. But the scientists do and here we are with more proof of what we already knew. Since the fight-or-flight response is designed for physical action, regular exercise is the best way of dissipating the physical manifestations of stress hormones in the body. Exercise, even stretching, can relieve tension in the muscles. While fight-or-flight taxes the immune system moderate physical activity can bolster the immune response.

Exercise can also counteract the anxiety adrenaline and cortisol may cause when they flood the bloodstream for prolonged periods. Most obviously, exercise is an outlet for excess adrenaline, and has been shown to blunt cortisol production. But another way it achieves this is by releasing serotonin, a neurotransmitter that stimulates the brain's "happy centers." This occurs most dramatically within the first 30 minutes of physical activity, then tapers off. Exercise also induces the release of endorphins, which block pain messages and can enhance mood. There are peripheral benefits to physical activity as well. The sense of self-control that comes with overcoming the anxiety provoking stress, of course the weight loss that comes with the exercise and the improved body image affects our outlook, and so our interactions with others, which in turn improve our mood.

So empower yourself and make friends with stress.

What Stress Can Do For YOU!

New research is telling us that stress should be welcomed. Increasing evidence is pointing to how stress can:

? Prevent cancer from returning

? Reduce the chance of heart attack

? Increase life expectancy

? Boost the immune system

? Increase brain power

Well, do you feel any better now?

DEBORAH is a highly respected authority in personal training for overall health and fitness, with more than 22 years of experience and success. Her credentials include...

Currently licensed Registered Nurse specializing in Rehabilitative Nursing Medical Exercise Therapist: certified by AAHFRP, an internationally recognized physical rehabilitation certification Maternity Specialist Pre & Post Natal certified by Maternal Fitness Personal Fitness Specialist: certified by NASM, an internationally recognized certification Yoga Teacher Professional Health Member, National Organization of Fitness Instructors (IDEA), a leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals Deborah Caruana RN, MES, CPT. CALL 212-677-3185 EMAIL deb@vitalsignsfitness.com WEB deb@vitalsignsfitness.com

monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

The Scoop on Stress and Exercise

Stress Management