Release

Using physical activity for the purpose of releasing tension and managing stress is both similar and different from using it to improve your health. For example you can go for a walk to get outside and clear your head but walk at a slow meandering pace, stopping to smell the roses and admire the clouds. This might help you forget your problems and manage your stress but it will not give you an aerobic workout. You can also go for a walk for at least 20 continuous minutes at an intensity that puts your heart-rate in a range that will provide an aerobic workout. This can also help you manage your stress because it will use up some of the energy mobilized during alarm and resistance and get rid of some of the muscle tension that accompanied it. Both walks could be used to manage stress. Only the latter will also give you an aerobic workout. The choice is up to you. In order to understand how to use physical activity to manage stress or manage stress and get a workout in requires that you understand how physical activity relates to both. All forms of physical activity release the effects of stress in three ways: they fully contract and relax tense muscles; they use the energy mobilized during the stress response in a productive way; and they shift your attention away from your problems and onto something that you enjoy, providing a mini-vacation from your stress. The thing they all have in common is that they get you moving. Orgasm works in a similar fashion to release stress. When you have an orgasm your body releases all of the tension and energy mobilized during the stress response. It also has the ability (if you let it) to shift your mind off of your problems and take a mini-vacation from your cares and worries.