Living with Stress - The physiological effect

Stress and tension in the human body encourage the production of adrenaline. Exercise counteracts stress and tension in at least three ways:

1. • It helps the body to distribute the stress effects over a wider area. That in turn removes the danger that the stress may have a disproportionately damaging effect on one body part, such as the heart. Approached sensibly, exercise thus lessens the danger that a heart attack may follow a stressful situation.
2. • Exercise also strengthens the body as a whole and its vital organs in particular. The organs can then better withstand the effects of stress.
3. • Exercise literally “works off” the stress by attacking the physiological and emotional symptoms. Vigorous exercise can often reduce stress to pleasant, normal, physical fatigue.