Exercising and eating healthy foods can benefit people physically, mentally, and emotionally. Regular participation in physical activities has been associated with a longer and better quality of life, reduced risks of a variety of diseases and many psychological and emotional benefits (Dhuruo, 2012). Physical activity is a useful mechanism in the prevention of sedentary behavior, overweight, obesity and it plays a key role in health promotion (Dhuruo, 2012). Exercising and changing life styles can help with stress and other health problems. Dhuruo (2012) found that physical activity participation diverts one's mind from stress, provides one with a positive outlook of life and impacts positively on work-related stress. This literature review looks at the benefits of exercising and how it decreases stress.
Literature review
This literature review is focus on research on the topic of exercising to reduce stress. All research used in this review were found using the database Academic Search Premier through the Kean University library system. Key words included are stress, physical active, behavior, diseases, health
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Mei-Ying et al, (2013) research shows that physical activity reduces blood pressure. Most experts agree that a moderate to low amount of regular exercise can ease tension and stress. All types of physical training have shown to improve quality of a person’s mental, emotional, and physical health. Physical activity has been well-documented as an effective means of reducing stress and anxiety (Bland, et al 2014). Furthermore, exercise can increase the levels of endorphins, which are known to help produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain. Physical appearance also plays a role on self-esteem and well-being of young adults by mediating the relations between stress and psychological
...llets under here are a few of the benefits,1; Weir, 2011,14). “The exercise or activity allows one to maintain a healthier weight. The muscles are more firm, they have better shape, they have better tone so when we look in mirrors, we feel better about ourselves so that is the emotional thing,” Kathy Tucker (personal communication, May 7th, 2014). Exercise can also alleviate anger and frustration, as well as, give a person a sense of achievement (Exercise and Mental Health, n.d.,bullets under here are a few of the benefits, 4,6).
Lutz, R. S., Stults-Kolehmainen, M. A., & Bartholomew, J. B. (2010). Exercise caution when stressed: Stages of change and the stress- exercise participation relationship. Psycology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 560-567.
There are many benefits of exercise on the human body, not only physical, but mental. Research has proved that exercise can benefit your mental health and your ability to learn. Exercise has many positive effects on patients suffering from a mental health disorder, such as depression or anxiety. Exercise releases chemicals in the brain called serotonin, which is a mood booster. The chemical can combat depression and help alleviate some of the symptoms that come with it. Exercise is shown to alleviate 25 different medical conditions, whether through secondary or direct benefits, such as Alzheimer’s. People who exercise are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than ones who don’t because exercise releases chemicals in the brain that support the healthy growth of neurons. Exercise can also serve as a mental “buffer” against problems such as stress, which prevents further problems like depression. This creates a mental resistance to outside forces, which aid in day to day life. Exercise can also help in education. Studies show that schools with academic programs that lack physical education perform worse than ones that have a more robust system. Majority of research indicates that replacing some academic periods with physical education results in higher academic achievement for students and improved concentration and focus. Exercise is shown to increase circulation and blood flow to the brain which increases cognitive function and the efficiency of the brain, having a profound impact on the human body and its ability to function efficiently. Exercise also engages the prefrontal cortex and stimulates it, which is responsible for complex thought and problem solving. This is proven to increase creativity, concentration and test scores. Stu...
There are very few people that I come in contact with that would say that they never get stressed out. I am a college and I basically stay stressed and especially when it is time for midterms or finals. I began walking about three months ago and it has helped me tremendously. There are chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters that are stimulated while exercising. These neurotransmitters are responsible for balancing our moods and emotions and that can make you feel better and less stressed. In only one exercise session, you produce 90 to 120 minutes of relation response and some people call that state post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response. Exercising can make you feel much better about yourself, and the feeling of self-worth contributes a great deal to stress relief.
Motta, R. W., Kuligowski, J. M., & Marino, D. M. (2010). The role of exercise in reducing childhood and adolescent PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Communique, 38(6), 24-26. Retrieved from http://readperiodicals.com/201003/2030175731.html
The feeling of stress is inevitable to avoid and remove entirely from our lives. As we go through life and our stress levels rise, for various reasons, resulting in the feeling of worry, anxiety, insomnia, etc. We search for strategies to assist with decreasing the feeling of stress or to better help cope with it. Coping is defined as “managing taxing circumstances, expending effort to solve life’s problems, and seeking to master or reduce stress” (p521). Individuals perform a wide range of different activities to help manage stress and decrease its effects such as working out at a gym regularly, attending routine social gatherings, and reading books. One stress reducer that our society often overlooks is nature and its benefits. There have been studies on forest bathing, which involves walking a forest trail or sitting on a boulder and observing nature with all five senses, that proves to minimize stress.
Fitness, no matter how much or how little, allows for endorphins to rush into our bodies and increase happiness. “We all have these neat feel-good neurochemicals just waiting to be released. Virtually any form of exercise, from weight training to yoga, can
Many studies have come to the conclusion that individuals who participate in health and wellness routines as well as a regular exercise program have a relatively increased degree of energy, lower healthcare bills, much better quality of life along with less stress, as well as improved health. Staying in good physical shape and healthy calls for everyone, to be conscious of their health, to be aware of the key fitness and health components and to follow them.
All over the world, it is believed that physical exercises help people achieve wellness. Physical exercise not only encourages physical wellness but also have a significant impact on mental stability and health. Although such positive believes stand, many benefits of physical activity has lost value overtime, as people nowadays have the tendency to rely on modern technologies and machineries, which are believe to make life easier. This often leads to shortage of physical activity and over sometime both physical and mental health will deteriorate. This argumentative essay, will explain how engaging in physical exercises improve one’s mental health.
Mental Health has a big role in one’s overall health. Mental health not only affects the mind but also the body. The mind and the body work as one. When many stresses in life impact a person, they can either choose to deal with it positively or negatively. Dealing with stress negatively would to choose to depend on drugs and alcohol to make the stress go away. However using drugs and alcohol only create an illusion of relief. It does not improve mental health but instead cumulate negativity in the mind. Dealing with stress positively would be to incorporate physical activity. Physical activity is a great way to improve the body physically and mentally. Physical activity has many benefits to all age groups. For adolescents and children, it can improve emotionally distress, body image and increase self-esteem (G. Kalra, 2012). Self-identification is one of the major obstacles for adolescents (S. McLeod, 2008). Adolescents are very much influenced by their peer and society. Yoga can help improve this because it improves spirituality; being one with yourself, which helps them prioritize their life and see the importance of themselves (G. Kalra,
Life is full of troubles, demands, pressures and hassles—these are all factors related to stress. Stress is a state of mental or emotional tension resulting from adverse or difficult situations (Merriam-Webster). When you are in potential danger, your body responds with a “fight-or-flight” response to protect you from any harm. Situations like being robbed at gunpoint or studying last minute the night before the test can activate stress in your body. Although situations in life can increase stress, there are plenty of methods to diminish it. Methods like meditating, talking to family/friends, drinking tea, or even taking a quick nap--all of these methods are proven effective (The Franklin Institute). One method that is prominent to many is physical exercise. Exercise is considered to improve physical conditions and strength, but maintains mental fitness in the process. Although many assume that exercising is healthy, some may not be familiar of how it relieves stress in detail. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise, the pros and cons must be considered. Some pros are: managing the levels of stress in your body, boosting your self-esteem, and improving learning and memory. The cons are: being time consuming and tedious, being costly and expensive, and risking injury while exercising. Let’s look at the pros of physical activity.
It is understandable that friends, family and a social life exists and that also needs to be taking care of. Exercise reduces stress, improves your sleep and from it allows you to gain a social aspect consider as new friends. If exercised daily or even when there is time during the week it will improve and change your life allowing you to not fall asleep or be tired all the time. It will reduce stress by being distracted on productive activities like playing tennis, going hiking, running at the park or even walking around the neighborhood. This activities when applied are best rather than thinking about work all the time, even on days off, this activities will have a positive impact on depression, anxiety and help your body use oxygen more efficiently to improve breathing. As you pick up the pace, the body, like any engine, produces heat — and needs to cool off. The blood vessels in the skin dilate, increasing blood flow to the skin. The heat then dissipates through the skin into the air.
Stress is an ongoing dilemma that occurs in each and everyone’s life. It is a factor that is undoubtedly a part of daily living. Due to the trivial problems that occur in people’s daily lives massive amounts of stress can arise. People perceive and manage stress in many different ways. The causes and effects of stress are numerous and one’s ability to manage stress is vital in maintaining healthy living.
“Children who exercise regularly have higher levels of self-esteem.” (Brown, W.J. & Brown P.R., 1996, p19). Teaching Physical Education can have immediate health benefits as it helps normalise body weight and body composition. Physical activity also promotes positive mental health. Both immediate outcomes may be useful in motivating physical activity practices so that they have long term benefits. One of the main benefits of physical activity is that “it keeps children involved and that it invariably makes you feel good.” (Brown, W.J. & Brown P.R., 1996, p19). Getting the correct amount of Physical activity in school hours will decrease the rates of obesity and will reduce the risk of diabetes, asthma, heart disease and other health related illness’. Regular exercise for children also helps their cardiovascular health and bone development. There is also evidence that Physical Activity has a positive effect on mental health in children, including reducing anxiety and depression and improving their mood. However, there is some evidence that for children who don’t enjoy Physical Education it can have a negative impact on their self-esteem and
Physical fitness have numerous benefits including muscle strength, muscular endurance, brain activity, preventing obesity and lowering risk or major body problems. Reduces gaining weight, improves losing weight and less likely to have accidents later in life. Also improves ones lifespan, living a healthier life and improves sleeping. Physical activity helps reduce ones stress, anxiety, and depression also improves over all life. A half hour or so of physical activity daily can yield benefits. Also can improve ones flexibility (Brezina), which can effe...