drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
There are many reports in the literature that physical activity is protective against
chronic mental health disorders such as depression. This alone is reason enough to
partake in consistent physical activity.
.
However, something potentially more common, albeit subjective and acute in nature, is the stress response to unnerving -
often important, life events.
.
These events include job interviews, meetings, first dates and resolving personal conflicts for example.
.
There are natural, inter-individual variations in the severity of responses to such stressors and given they are also typically short-lived by nature; psychosocial stress is often dismissed in the
context of investigating sound coping mechanisms.
.
To date, some common methods include positive self-talk and slow breathing exercises.
.
Interestingly, physical activity may lend to stress management in this context by reducing hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity as it does for chronic, stress-related disorders such as cardiovascular disorders and depression.
.
The standardized Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), which exposes individuals to socio-evaluative stress, has been shown to elicit two- to three-fold increases in HPA and cardiovascular responses.
.
In the current study, the TSST was capable of eliciting an increase in cortisol and heart rate within groups of trained or untrained men.
.
However, by exposing each group
to subjective psychosocial stressors, Rimmele and colleagues were able to show that trained men exhibited lower salivary free cortisol levels and decreased heart rate compared to untrained men.
.
Interestingly, untrained men also displayed worsened mood, and higher levels of anxiety following the stressor protocol.
.
Most people face socio-evaluative stress in their daily lives and everyone handles it
differently. Unfortunately for some, the inability to handle stress while in the situation real-time can have lasting ramifications.
.
The hope is that regular training
can minimize this stress response and allow one to combat the situation head-on with confidence.
chronic mental health disorders such as depression. This alone is reason enough to
partake in consistent physical activity.
.
However, something potentially more common, albeit subjective and acute in nature, is the stress response to unnerving -
often important, life events.
.
These events include job interviews, meetings, first dates and resolving personal conflicts for example.
.
There are natural, inter-individual variations in the severity of responses to such stressors and given they are also typically short-lived by nature; psychosocial stress is often dismissed in the
context of investigating sound coping mechanisms.
.
To date, some common methods include positive self-talk and slow breathing exercises.
.
Interestingly, physical activity may lend to stress management in this context by reducing hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity as it does for chronic, stress-related disorders such as cardiovascular disorders and depression.
.
The standardized Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), which exposes individuals to socio-evaluative stress, has been shown to elicit two- to three-fold increases in HPA and cardiovascular responses.
.
In the current study, the TSST was capable of eliciting an increase in cortisol and heart rate within groups of trained or untrained men.
.
However, by exposing each group
to subjective psychosocial stressors, Rimmele and colleagues were able to show that trained men exhibited lower salivary free cortisol levels and decreased heart rate compared to untrained men.
.
Interestingly, untrained men also displayed worsened mood, and higher levels of anxiety following the stressor protocol.
.
Most people face socio-evaluative stress in their daily lives and everyone handles it
differently. Unfortunately for some, the inability to handle stress while in the situation real-time can have lasting ramifications.
.
The hope is that regular training
can minimize this stress response and allow one to combat the situation head-on with confidence.
