LIVING SMART: Simple ways to manage stress

Stress is an inevitable part of our lives — even in retirement.

Whether it is due to finances, health issues, children or just the constant information overload and the hectic pace we live at today, stress can raise your blood pressure and increase the production of stress hormones.

These can weaken your immune system, cause illness, add to weight gain, increase your risk for heart disease and threaten your overall health and life expectancy.

Since we are unlike to eliminate stress, managing it is essential. Vigorous aerobic exercise can be an effective tool as it improves your overall health, lowers your blood pressure, and increases your sense of well being via the production of neurotransmitters in the brain and the reduction of stress hormones such as cortisol.

Regular exercise may elevate self-confidence and reduce the symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. A brisk walk, game of racquet ball, or several laps in the pool can help you shed tension, relax and improves your mood.

So now that I’ve convinced you that exercise is an effective way to reduce stress and will improve your life, where do you start?

If you have been inactive for six months or more, you should consult your doctor. This is particularly important if you have a history of heart disease or other known risk factors.

Find an aerobic activity that you enjoy and perhaps a friends to share it with you. Aerobic activities include walking, hiking, swimming, biking, dancing, spinning, court sports and many team sports. Even yoga, although not an aerobic activity, has been shown to be effective in reducing stress.

Start slowly and keep your exertion level at a pace where your heart rate is elevated but you can still talk. Build your endurance by increasing your time and pace gradually. If you overdo it you risk sore muscles and injury, and aren’t likely to stick with it.

As a guideline to reduce stress start with 10 minutes, three times per week and work up to 30-60 minutes most days of the week for general health benefits. Try to introduce some variety as you adapt to the activity in order to keep both your body and mind engaged.

Research has shown that people who exercise to improve their sense of well-being or to elevate their mood are most successful at continuing an exercise program. The payoff is immediate, as you will feel the tension lift and your mood improve within a few minutes. The benefits of relaxation response to exercise or post-exercise euphoria continue for 90-120 minutes.

It might help to think of “exercise” in a different light. Don’t think of it as work, but as a feel-good experience that you look forward to. It is a time when you forget about your worries and abandon stress, and concentrating on your body’s movement will give you a sense of control over your body and life.

It can truly be an opportunity to to feel good about yourself, and something that can extend to other facets of your life.

Ann Sirianni is a certified fitness trainer. Contact her at gvfitness@live.com.