An Interview with Josh Massingham, Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Northside Allied Health
Q1: When you are feeling stressed you are often time poor and might not prioritise the time to exercise. So why is it so important to find time to exercise when you are stressed?
A1: Stress is a common occurrence in everyday life. While stress alone is not a disease, continued or ongoing stress can lead to more serious illnesses such as depression. There is scientific evidence which supports exercise as an effective treatment modality for reducing psychological stress symptoms and may be as effective as psychological or pharmaceutical therapies for some people.
Q2: What type of exercise is good for stress?
A2: In short: any exercise is better than none. More specifically, a recent review article that compiled evidence from a multitude of scientific studies which investigated the link between exercise and stress concluded that aerobic exercise of a low-moderate intensity is sufficient. Ideally, this exercise should be maintained on a regular basis to ensure long- term benefits.
Interestingly, another study has compared the effects of high intensity exercise vs moderate intensity exercise for adolescents and had the participants fill out a questionnaire about their stress levels before and after the exercise. The results found the group who did high intensity exercise had a greater reduction in stress symptoms compared to the moderate intensity exercise. It is important to note that both forms of exercise in this study were more beneficial than not doing any. These findings suggest a dose-response relationship for intensity of exercise and stress symptoms exists.
Q3: Is there a connection between exercise, food and stress? What is the winning combination to get you back on track?
A3: While alcohol may provide a short-term relief from stress symptoms, it is well established that the long-term effects of excessive alcohol intake can contribute to an increase in stress and development of depression.
While there might not be a “one-size-fits-all” solution to avoiding stress and depression, the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through meeting the recommendations for exercise and dietary requirements is the best possible method to help reduce your likelihood of developing depression
Q4: Research suggests that stress can lead to anxiety and depression. How does exercise play a part in reducing the onset of mental health concerns?
A4: The benefits of exercise on stress, anxiety and depression is believed to be multifactorial. Some research suggests the main mechanism is that exercise provides a distraction from the stress source, E.g. work, family, etc.
Other mechanisms include a positive feedback cycle:
– person completes exercise
– person feels sense of accomplishment and normality
– positive feedback from environment and social contact
– improvement in self-efficacy self-worth and empowerment
– reduced development of depression