Everyday it seems, many people suffer from the anxiety of something, whether it is a deadline that needs to be met, groceries that need to be purchased, a speech that needs to be written, the minutes leading up to giving a presentation to hundreds or thousands of your peers.....you get the point.
Interestingly enough, if you exercise, it may help reduce your state anxiety, that is the anxiety you feel right now, butterflies in the stomach before a speech or presentation, anxiousness right before kickoff of a big game, etc.; whereas trait anxiety is more so the overall anxiety level one always has on a day to day basis, and is of longer duration that state anxiety, which can in turn lead to higher state anxiety during highly stressful times.
I say may in my previous paragraph because, depending on the level of anxiety, exercise may do nothing for it. Also, while exercise may help some, it may not help everyone, and I would like that to be remembered when reading the succeeding paragraph.
In a study done by Focht and Koltyn (1999) , the authors found that state anxiety decreased significantly at 180 minutes following resistance training (e.g., weight lifting). In addition, Strickland and Smith (2014) found that low to moderate intensity resistance exercise lead to decreased levels of anxiety. Plus, Salmon (2001) noted that aerobic exercise has anxiolytic and anti-depressant effects, as well as protecting against the harmful consequences of stress. It should also be noted that this literature is growing, slowly, but it is growing.
Anecdotally, I do find that when I lift weights, run, or use the elliptical machine, I do notice that I am not as anxious about the daily tasks, both after and then even long after the exercise.
It works for me, maybe it will work for you too!
No comments:
Post a Comment