How Exercise Can Relieve Stress

May 17, 2021

Sometimes, we feel as if we have the weight of the world on our shoulders. And sometimes we may have a LOT going on. I have shared a lot of my own personal struggles with our Core 4 Fam over the last couple months. I do this because I want you all to know, you are not alone. Stress and anxiety can be killers. Let's explore how exercise can help limit the factors of stress and anxiety.

A barking dog....(look at that cute misunderstood baby)

But a barking, snarling dog will almost instantly create a flight or fight response. Your body is hard wired to respond to threatening situations with stress. And although we may not have a barking dog attacking us all day, we are bombarded with constant thoughts and events in our own personal world that can create a very similar stress response. Remember, stress is a good thing, but constant stress is not. 

See constant stress can increase the stress hormone called cortisol. And CORTISOL.... well this little pain in the butt can wreak havoc on your body. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with the brain regions that control mood, motivation and fear.

So, without getting to deep into the physiology of it, cortisol can play a huge role in weight loss, fighting disease and even libido ( hey we are all adults here). 

So are we doomed to be the slave of our stress and elevated coritol levels? READ ON!

Welcome Exercise!!!

Exercise.....

The most underrated and under prescribed way to deal with stress. See cortisol (remember that guy we were just talking about) is the biproduct of built up adrenaline. If we can find a way to release adrenaline we can mitigate the body's production of cortisol. So more exercise, better ability to manage stress. Also exercise promotes the body's release of endorphins. Endorphins are the "feel good" hormone that promote healthy cell regeneration, relaxation, and that can help with better sleep as well. 

And then there's sleep....glorious sleep!

Proper sleep has so many benefits. Including, reducing cortisol, reducing stress, increased healthy hormone production, and better memeory function. Wanna lose weight? Well proper sleep has been proven to be instrumental in proper weight loss. Instrumental!!! 

And I thought this was interesting from the American Psychological Association.

Survey findings show that stress may be getting in the way of quality sleep. American adults report sleeping an average of 6.7 hours a night — less than the minimum recommendation of seven to nine hours. In addition, 42 percent of adults report that their sleep quality is fair or poor and 43 percent report that stress has caused them to lie awake at night in the past month. This graph shows the survey's findings.

So remember....

You are not alone in your battle against stress. Core 4 is dedicated to creating the best workout environment and being a positive place for support for everyone. Sometimes it's not just about losing weight or the aesthetics....sometimes it's just about finding a healthy way to deal with stress. And if you can't, our team will make you squat enough that the weight of the world doesn't feel like so much. 

-Kevin