Exercise not only improves mood, it may help people maintain reduced
anxiety in the face of stressful or emotional events, a new study says.
While many studies have shown a link between exercise and better mood, it
was not known "whether these positive effects endure when we're faced with
everyday stressors once we leave the gym," said study researcher J. Carson
Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University
of Maryland School of Public Health.
In the study, participants engaged in either a 30-minute period of rest,
or 30 minutes of cycling on two days. A survey designed to measure anxiety
levels was given before and after the activity.
Participants then viewed a series of pleasant pictures of babies,
families and puppies, unpleasant images, such as depictions of violence, and
neutral images including plates, cups and furniture. Afterward, their anxiety
levels were measured a final time. Participants' surveys, completed shortly
after their 30 minutes of exercise or quiet rest, showed that these conditions
were equally effective at reducing anxiety levels.
However, after viewing the images, the anxiety levels of those who had
rested rose back to their initial levels, while those who had exercised
maintained their reduced anxiety levels, the researchers said. "We found
that exercise helps to buffer the effects of emotional exposure. If you
exercise, you'll not only reduce your anxiety, but you'll be better able to
maintain that reduced anxiety when confronted with emotional events,"
Smith said.
The study will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
My Health News Daily
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