Stressed? Go sweat

Everyday, I read the New York Times. One article stood out last week: “How To Be Better At Stress.” We all get stressed. At work. At home. When we drive and someone cuts the line. We have financial problems. The question is, how do we deal with stress? Here are a few points:

Stress Inoculation. Tara Park-Pope, the author, explains: “The best way to get better at stress is to practice it. Scientists call this ‘stress inoculation,’ and just as exposure to a virus will inoculate you from contracting a virus a second time, regular exposure to small amounts of stress can inoculate you from the most detrimental effects of stress when you suffer a big stressful event in your life.”

It says that you can practice stress by exposing yourself to challenging situations. “Practicing stress,” she said, “can actually be enjoyable, even thrilling.”

The No. 1 suggestion? Run a marathon. (Run the Jan. 14, 2018 race that’s ours, the Cebu Marathon!) Why is running the 42K good for your mind? Because it stresses the body… which, in turn, helps strengthen our mental state. The other recommendations include “Play in a Scrabble competition,” “climb a mountain,” and “train to scuba dive.”

One of the top suggestions by Parker-Pope? Get into sports. It doesn’t matter what form or type, as long as you sweat and enjoy the sweat.

“Exercise can channel your stress response into something constructive and distract your mind from the challenges at work or home that make you feel chronically stressed,” she said.

Studies were conducted on mice. Two groups were formed. One was forced to run on wheels and tubes and, after two weeks, they became resistant to stress compared to those who remained inactive. The mice were then exposed to an aggressive mouse. “After the bullying,” she said, “the exercising-mice bounced back, but the sedentary mice continued to show signs of stress.” Conclusion? “Exercise doesn’t eliminate stress, but it does give your body the physical conditioning it needs to recover from it.”

Small amounts of sports are enough. If you can spare half an hour, that’s fine. Longer is better. The key is consistency. She added: “Find something that fits your schedule and that you enjoy. For some, that will be a morning spin class or an evening run. For others, it will be a 30-minute walk at lunch time.”

Weight-training is recommended. “Studies show that anaerobic or resistance exercises (working with weights) taxes muscles more than aerobic exercise like walking or running,” she said. “The result is that weight training, done right, may produce more mood-boosting endorphins than cardio exercise.”

Go outdoors. Bike up to Bu-ak. Swim in Abellana. Run around the oval. Studies were conducted and “volunteers who walked outdoors reported enjoying the activity more than those who walked indoors on a treadmill.” Those who went outdoors scored higher in terms of “vitality, enthusiasm, pleasure and self-esteem and lower on tension, depression and fatigue.”

Incorporate exercise into your daily routine. In the same manner that you schedule time for lunch or dinner or going to sleep, integrate “sports” into your lifestyle. Your problems won’t go away but they’ll feel less burdensome.

But there’s an exception. The one overly-stressful sports activity? I joined the bike relay last Sunday. My report on the Ironman next.