There are many ways to practice wellness and stress management. A combination of proper diet, exercise, and regular relaxation are the ideal components. Surprisingly, the time invested in wellness will actually save you time, and energy, in the long run.

I want to share some thoughts on the importance of regular physical exercise for health and stress management.

In fact, many people rely on physical activity, both sports and exercise, for their main commitment to stress management. This makes sense but may not be enough for a complete stress management program. First, let's discuss the role that exercise can play in managing stress.

The normal response to stress makes changes to the body by holding stress in the skeletal muscles, especially those muscles that would be used to fight or flee (see the first newsletter for complete list of the Flight/Fight Response.) Most people will hold some of their tension in these muscles and this can lead to difficulties with sleeping, headaches, neck and back pain, tight jaws (and dental problems), and loss of concentration (which can effect communication, learning, work performance, etc.) The body wants to run away or to fight the stressor. Physical activity through exercise can release the stress that you may be holding in these muscles. The movement can also help to create awareness regarding these muscle groups and then the use of these muscles will work off some of the stored tension. Remember: awareness is half the battle. If you are aware of tension and the specific muscle groups, you can release this tension. This is one reason that massage, body work or yoga can aid you in relief of muscle tension.

In addition to awareness, physical exercise can fatigue the muscles and force them to relax during your recovery time. In active progressive relaxation, which involves tensing and then releasing specific muscles for relaxation, the awareness and then fatigue of these specific muscles can work together for initial development of the relaxation process. Edmund Jacobson, who first described the benefits of active progressive relaxation, believed that creating this awareness and then the practice of relaxation was more than just simple physical relaxation. He stated that "there is no place for a tense mind in a relaxed body." This suggests that by relaxing the body would lead to relaxation of a tense or anxious mind.

The problem with sports as an activity for relaxation is that many people are very competitive and the relaxation may be reduced by the stress of wanting to perform at a high level. This is great as a distraction from work stress and can help you to get your consciousness to be more in the present moment which are both stress management techniques which have merit. But you probably know the golfer-bowler-tennis player that has broken a club or racquet or demonstrated some degree of competitive rage while engaged in their sport. This rage does not demonstrate healthy stress management. If you can enjoy yourself, without hurting yourself, then the sport can be a useful distraction to minimize daily stress.

People require more than exercise for a balanced stress management program. Deep relaxations 15-20 minutes nearly daily are also strongly recommended. These are peaceful times of relaxation and recovery. These can take the place of up to two hours of sleep. These periods give energy and help enhance focus. Combined with a good diet and regular exercise these offer the best components of wellness program that help prevent stress related problems and can enhance the quality of your life.

Good Health!