Stress, stress and more stress. It's the syndrome of modern life, brought on by a combination of lack of time, perplexity, a feeling of your life being out of control and overwhelming anxiety. If you talk to your doctor, he or she might give you a prescription for medication or depression self help, as anxiety can turn into depression. Or if you get lucky, the doctor will offer some sound advice about keeping fit. Because keeping fit is one of the most effective as well as the most natural ways of €medicating€ yourself.

In particular, aerobics as a fitness activity boosts the production of what are called endorphins, chemicals that act in your brain to reduce the amount that you worry, to relax you and to have you sleep better to wake up stronger and better refreshed. While it's doing that, aerobics is also re-oxygenating your blood supply to refuel not only your brain, but your muscles and your body as a whole.

Forget the medications

The endorphins produced by aerobics have additional characteristics as well. Studies note that endorphins are related to a reduction in high blood pressure as well as the relief of pain. They bring on a feeling of well-being as well as relaxing you and improving your sleep. It is the combination of these different elements that can drive out stress and generally positively boost mood and mental health as well. It is essentially chemical self motivation from your brain.

Aerobics is characterized by breathing as well as by muscular activity. The deep breathing induced by aerobics induces a condition similar to that of meditation. Aerobics and yoga for example both focus on correct breathing techniques to get the oxygen circulating in the blood. Other activities which can do this include slow, steady swimming as well as long distance running. Swimming has the additional advantage of minimizing wear and tear on bone joints and ligaments.

Physical relief of stress

If you need relief in a hurry for getting rid of stress, you can also try hitting a golf ball, a tennis ball or a punching bag to give vent to otherwise repressed anger. This allows you to channel frustration and annoyance towards an inanimate object, in order to express it and so eliminate it harmlessly. This is an important consideration for personal improvement, because anger that cannot be vented may remain bottled up inside the body where it leads to the formation of nefarious chemical substances that in certain circumstances can make you ill. It's the harmless physical action that makes the difference, much more than trying to vent your frustration in words alone, which is often ineffective or even counterproductive.

Aerobics for more endorphins will allow you to handle difficult situations in a more relaxed and calmer way, as well as being increasingly alert. You may not be able to change the course of events, for example when someone yells at you, but you'll stand much better chance of not yelling back and looking for a constructive solution. Remaining calm yet alert in crisis or emergency situations is useful and important personal skill. Use your aerobic exercises to be able to avoid the lose-lose situations of hostile standoffs and move to win-win solutions that both you and the other party can be completely satisfied with.