Stress reduction

Exercise Can Help Control Stress From Ace Fit Facts

People who exercise regularly will tell you they feel better. Some will say it’s because chemicals called neurotransmitters, which are produced in the brain, are stimulated during exercise. Since it’s believed that neurotransmitters mediate people’s moods and emotions, they can make you feel better and less stressed.

While there’s no scientific evidence to conclusively support the neurotransmitter theory, there is plenty to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits.


There are four ways in which exercise controls stress:

* Exercise can help you feel less anxious—Exercise is being prescribed in clinical settings to help treat nervous tension. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measured a decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People are often less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.
* Exercise can relax you—One exercise session generates 90 to 120 minutes of relaxation response. Some people call this post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response. Many neurotransmitters, not just endorphins, are involved. The important thing, though, is not what they’re called, but what they do: They improve your mood and leave you relaxed.
* Exercise can make you feel better about yourself—Think about those times when you’ve been physically active. Haven’t you felt better about yourself? That feeling of self-worth contributes to stress relief.
* Exercise can make you eat better—People who exercise regularly tend to eat more nutritious food. And it’s no secret that good nutrition helps your body manage stress better.


It’s Time to Get Started

Now that you know exercise can make a big difference in controlling stress, make some time for regular physical activity. We’ll help you get started by listing three activities you can choose from:

* Aerobic activity—All it takes is 20 minutes, six to seven days a week. Twenty minutes won’t carve a big chunk out of your day, but it will significantly improve your ability to control stress.
* Yoga—In yoga or yoga-type activities, your mind relaxes progressively as your body increases its amount of muscular work. Studies have shown that when large muscle groups repeatedly contract and relax, the brain receives a signal to release specific neurotransmitters, which in turn make you feel relaxed and more alert.
* Recreational sports—Play tennis, racquetball, volleyball or squash. These games require the kind of vigorous activity that rids your body of stress-causing adrenaline and other hormones.


Not Just Any Exercise Will Do

Don’t try exercising in your office. Outdoors or away from the office is the best place to find a stress-free environment. Even a corporate fitness center can trigger too many work-related thoughts for some people.

Stay away from overcrowded classes. If you work surrounded by people, a big exercise class may be counterproductive. Solo exercise may be more relaxing for you. If, however, you work alone, you may enjoy the social benefit of exercising in a group. A lot depends on your personality and what causes stress for you.

Don’t skip a chance to exercise. Take a break every 90 minutes and you’ll be doing yourself a favor. Ninety-minute intervals are a natural work-break period. And four 10-minute exercise breaks will burn about as many calories as a solid 40-minute session. Work-break exercises can be as simple as walking or climbing stairs, stretching or doing calisthenics.

Controlling stress comes down to making the time to exercise. You’re worth it!

Additional Resource

American Psychological Association—Exercise Helps Keep Your Psyche Fit: www.apa.org/releases/exercise.html/

Exerising with Fibromyalgia

Exercise and Fibromyalgia From Ace Fit Facts

Fibromyalgia is a debilitating condition affecting between 1 and 3% of the general population. The syndrome is characterized by widespread muscle aches and pains, stiffness, fatigue and muscle spasms. Many people with fibromyalgia report difficulty doing everyday activities such as carrying objects, walking and working with their arms. Pain, fatigue, helplessness, psychological distress and difficulty coping with stresses plague many people with the condition. No one knows what causes fibromyalgia, but it is thought to be a combination of increased sensitivity to pain and environmental and psychological factors.


Can Exercise Help?

Common sense suggests that individuals with fibromyalgia shouldn’t exercise. And many people limit physical activity out of fear that it will make their symptoms worse. But in reality, if you have fibromyalgia, you can’t afford to not exercise.

Properly done exercise interrupts the downhill spiral of muscular and cardiovascular deconditioning and the resulting loss of function. Deconditioning leads to increased muscle soreness after even minimal amounts of physical activity. Additionally, many individuals have postural imbalances, tight muscles and poor range of motion, all of which place more strain on the body and movement.

A program including consistent aerobic exercise improves function, symptoms and well-being. And strength training improves muscle strength and reduces exercise-related pain and exercise-induced muscle fatigue. Overall, an exercise program can help to alleviate many of the physically and emotionally painful symptoms of fibromyalgia.


Exercising Safely With Fibromyalgia

Prior to increasing physical activity, discuss your plans with your physician. Then an ACE-certified Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist can assist you in developing your activity program and guide your rate of progression.

Because postural imbalances and tight, inflexible muscles are common in individuals with fibromyalgia, every activity session should begin and end with mobility (flexibility and range-of-motion) activities. These exercises should be done slowly, emphasizing quality of movement, and never be painful.

Once you are able to perform these basic exercises comfortably, add strength training two to three times a week using light weights. The emphasis is not on quantity, but rather on the ‘quality’ of muscle movement. Using too much resistance and/or doing the movements improperly can make you prone to muscular microtrauma, which leads to muscle soreness and can potentially worsen your symptoms.

Aerobic exercise should also be on your exercise plan. Warm water provides an optimal medium for beginning your exercise program. Many communities have facilities that offer warm-water exercise sessions for people with arthritis and these classes are ideal starting points for those with fibromyalgia as well. Walking is also an excellent activity. Other types of exercises, such as cycling, stairstepping and using other popular machines found in fitness facilities, may increase symptoms if you don’t maintain correct posture. Aerobic activities should be undertaken at a moderate intensity a minimum of three times per week. Start with just a few minutes and gradually increase duration to build up to 20 to 40 minutes of activity each day.

The key to exercise success for individuals with fibromyalgia is consistency. When you experience flare-ups, back off or take a day off. Resume your physical-activity program as soon as you feel better.

With appropriate mobility exercises, strength training and aerobic conditioning, you can expect to see improvement in your functional status and overall outlook on life.


Brad A. Roy, Ph.D., F.A.C.S.M., the director of The Summit, Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s facility for health promotion and fitness in Kalispell, Montana, provided exercise recommendations for this educational handout.

Additional Resources

American Academy of Family Physicians—Fibromyalgia and Exercise: www.familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/pain/treatment/061.html
Medline Plus—Fibromyalgia: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fibromyalgia.html
Mayo Clinic—Fibromyalgia: www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromyalgia/DS00079

December2, 2009

Today is the challenge deadline!
How did you do? How are you feeling? Please let me know, and if you have any questions and do not want everyone else to see write me at fitzkids2@gmail.com. I will continue to post things everyday and will start a new challenge in January. Remember that the easiest way to de-stress and feel better is to get moving!!!!!!!!!

December 1, 2009

Happy December everyone!!!!
Today is your last day for this challenge! How are you feeling? Please share your experience with us! This blog will continue throughout the year with new challenges and daily fitness tips. Join me in January for a 6 week hardcore bootcamp I call FITCAMP! Although I will not be there to scream and yell, I will post some grueling workouts for you! Then In the Spring I will host a class for all you local fitgoers!

Today's challenge
2 mile run/walk
100 crunches
25 moving supermans
army crawl for 1 minute/ or jacks
50 squats
50 plie squats
25 walking lunges
30 push ups
100 crunches
25 dips

Have fun!

3 More Days left until our deadline! Have you gotten to your goal yet? If you haven't we will continue on our journey together!!

Monday November 30th 2009! Cyber Monday!

Challenge 10 pull ups or 30 push ups!

45 minutes of cardio with intensity 2 up from where you usually are!
100 crunches and 40 supermans!