Any kind of change in your life can cause stress. It doesn't make any difference if the change is good, like a promotion at work, or bad, like an illness. Stress can be very useful because it can make us take action and learn new and effective ways of dealing with change. Too much stress can be harmful, though, so it is important to find effective ways of coping with stress.

One way of coping with stress is exercise. Exercise contributes to physical fitness. People who are more physically fit tend to have fewer stress-related health problems. They are also less likely to have fewer symptoms of depression, such as trouble sleeping at night, sleeping too much during the day, overeating, or not eating.

A combination of low fitness and high stress can leave you vulnerable to getting more illnesses, like colds and flu. Improved fitness and lower stress can help improve both physical and mental health. It is believed that fitness activities, especially aerobic-type exercises, are helpful in improving cardiopulmonary fitness and in reducing anxiety, an effect of stress. Some researchers have suggested that a chemical is released in the brain during aerobic-type exercise thathelps the body mend itself from some of the harmful effects of stress.

For exercise to be effective in buffering some of the harmful effects of stress, it should be done at least three days per week for at least 30 minutes.

If you have been living a lifestyle without exercise, be sure to see your healthcare provider for a checkup. Your health care provider can also suggest an appropriate exercise fitness routine for your particular needs. If you decide to use the services of a local fitness program in your community, make sure there is a properly trained and credentialed exercise physiologist on the staff, who can provide you with an exercise program to suit your needs.

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