Mental health articles

aerobic activity benefits Many contend that noncompetitive aerobic exercise is the most eff ective counter
to stress, since physical activity fulfi lls the “fi ght or fl ight” aspect of the
stress response. Since most modern stress is psychosocial, people normally
aren’t able to physically respond, even though they’re physically aroused. Aerobic
exercise allows for this physical release, dispelling muscle tension and
strengthening the body for future stressful situations.
Excessive exercise, however, can in itself become a major bodily stressor
and may reduce the capacity to respond well to new challenging situations.
For many stressed students, exercise represents another demand on their time
and energy and so seems counter to their goals. Th erefore it’s important when
recommending aerobic exercise to point out that students should set realistic
goals that will not be too demanding of their time and that they should gradually
build up to an eff ective level of exercise.
Choosing an exercise to engage in is an important decision. Competitive
sports have some capacity for stress reduction, and they perhaps help most
with the “fi ght” aspect of the stress response. But these sports also have the
capacity for being stressful, especially if the participant cares too much about
the outcome of the competition. Observing colleagues who recently trained
for and participated in a full-distance triathlon—a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile
bike run, and a 26.2-mile foot run—I was struck by the stress not only of the
excessive exercise but also of the cognitive demands related to performance.
Aerobic activities (requiring longer, less intense eff ort, as in walking, jogging,
or swimming) tend to be better for stress reduction than anaerobic activities
(requiring short bursts of energy, as in weight lift ing or sprinting). Th e
best exercise is also something that the student enjoys. If exercise is perceived as yet another unwelcome demand, it merely becomes another stressor. If the
activity becomes a measure of self-esteem—by the person adopting a win-orelse
attitude—that too is counterproductive. And if the exercise requires too
much time or exertion, that also defeats the purpose. A relatively recent concern
expressed by recreational sports professionals is the number of students
who are compulsively spending over 3 hours per day on exercise machines. For
stress-management purposes, exercise that lasts no more than 30–60 minutes
on 5 or 6 days per week is ideal (American College of Sports Medicine, 2005).
Exercising alone and exercising with a group each have diff erent benefi ts. Solitary
exercise has the potential for a meditative focus of attention that enhances
the relaxation eff ect. Yet, those who exercise together, such as runners, fi nd that
socializing and humorous conversation add to the sense of relaxation.