Stress is something we all deal with—whether it’s racing to meet deadlines, dealing with financial pressures, a sick loved one, or facing global challenges like conflicts and pandemics — it’s unavoidable. But not all stress is created equal.
In this article, we examine types of stress and the physical effects it has on the body — breaking it down system by body system. Then we’ll discuss role of exercise in counteracting stress, recommend the best type of exercises for stress management, as well as providing practical tips to incorporate stress-reducing activity into your daily routine.
Table of Contents:
- Types of stress
- The physical effects of stress on the body
- How exercise counteracts stress
- Best Types of Exercise to Reduce Stress
- Practical Tips to Stay Active and Manage Stress
- When to Seek Professional Help
- Conclusion
Types of Stress
Stress is a delicate combination of emotional and physiological challenges that can either enhance or impair functioning.
- Acute stress (short-term) can be helpful—it sharpens focus and strengthens our body’s adaptive responses. Think of it like a small challenge that helps us grow. This form of stress ranges from a few minutes to up to a week.[i]
- Chronic stress (long-term) is where the real problems start. If stress becomes constant, it can weaken the immune system, fuel inflammation, and take a toll on mental and physical health. This form of stress generally develops over weeks and can lead to months or even years of the body constantly trying to adapt to stressors.[ii]
So how do we counteract this? Exercise is one of the most powerful tools we have. It doesn’t just provide a mental escape from the stressors — it actively changes how our body reacts to stress.[iii]
The Physical Effects of Stress on the Body
When stress hits, our body goes into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode, triggering a cascade of physiological changes. This is called the General Adaptation Syndrome, which happens in three stages:[iv]
- Alarm Reaction: The body goes into high alert—heart rate and contractions spikes, breathing quickens, and stress hormones like cortisol flood the system in response to a potential threat.
- Resistance Stage: If the stress continues, the body tries to adapt and stabilize, but high cortisol levels keeps the body in high alert which can lead to poor recovery and symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, and brain fog.
- Exhaustion Stage: Long-term stress overloads the body, leading to burnout, anxiety, depression, and even physical health problems like heart disease. The longer we stay in this stage, the more toll our body will sustain.
Let’s break down how stress impacts different parts of the body:[v]
- Immune system: Chronic stress weakens immune function through adoption of poor adaptation strategies, making us more prone to infections and inflammation.
- Endocrine system: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) is an important system in the body to regulate body’s stress reaction. Chronic stress can lead to a dysfunctional communication between the axis, nervous system and endocrine system, leading to poor regulation and adaptation to stress, leading to sleep issues and chronic fatigue.
- Musculoskeletal system: Stress causes muscle tension (aka muscle guarding), especially in shoulder and neck muscles (e.g. trapezius), increasing development of pain, physiological tremors and risk of injuries. Additionally, stress decreases osteoblast activity in the bone, which decreases bone formation, making us more susceptible to fractures.
- Cardiovascular system: Acute stress causes increase in heart rate, blood pressure and heart contraction, however if these reactions are prolonged it leads to abnormal strain on the heart and the blood vessels – increasing risk for cardiovascular diseases.
- Respiratory system: Acute stress causes temporary increase in rate and depth of breathing, however chronic stress can chronically increase breath rate, increase shortness of breath (due to muscle tension), inflammation in the lungs, and hypersensitivity in bronchioles. This could lead to development or worsening of respiratory conditions such as asthma.
- Nervous system: Chronic stress causes body to remain in heighten alert, leading to nerve fatigue and heightened sensitivity to pain.
- Gastrointestinal (GI) system: Chronic stress dysregulates the brain-GI nervous system – leading to impairment in GI mucous barrier, decreased motility, and increase in visceral sensitivity. These changes may lead to GI issues such as diarrhea, constipation, stomach aches and poor nutrient absorption. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is very commonly aggravated during stressful events.
- Reproductive system: Stress affects both the male and female reproductive systems by dysregulating the hormones (e.g., testosterone or estrogen), thus leading to decreased sex drive, decrease sperm count and motility in males, and complications with menstrual cycles and pregnancy in females.
How Exercise Counteracts Stress
Being physically active provides many beneficial health benefits, such as reducing stress and promoting a healthy life. However, exercise, especially more vigorous exercise, does contribute to increases of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. Therefore, how does exercise reduce stress exactly?
A study by Chen et al. (2017) highlighted three key ways exercise helps the body counteract stress:[vi]
- Regulating Cortisol: While exercise temporarily raises cortisol, it actually helps to reduce the body’s overall stress response in the long run. This helps us stay calmer and adapt more positively in stressful situations.
- Boosting Dopamine & Norepinephrine: Exercise elevates dopamine (the “feel-good” chemical) and norepinephrine (which helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle and the “flight-fight-freeze” response). This not only improves mood but also enhances coping mechanisms.
- Strengthening Stress Resilience: Exercise upregulates cortisol receptors, helping the body regulate stress hormones more effectively. The importance of the receptor is that when the cortisol binds to it, a chemical reaction occurs to regulate the gene responsible for controlling cell and tissue development, metabolism and immune response.
Therefore, the combination of these three mechanisms increases structural and functional neuroplasticity, improves cognition/memory and improves the way the body handles stress.[vii]
Beyond the physiological benefits, exercise also acts as a “time-out” from stress. A study by Breus & O’Connor (1998) found that exercise provided a stronger stress-relief effect than passive activities like resting. The study compared how female college students responded to their main stressor, studying, through four conditions: quiet rest, study, exercise, and studying while exercising.[viii]
These conditions were counterbalanced across participants, and each condition was 40 minutes in duration. The exercise only condition had the greatest calming effect. When participants were not given a break from their stressor in the studying while exercising condition, exercise did not have the same calming effect. Highlighting that movement breaks give the mind a much-needed break from worries, allowing for better emotional regulation.
Best Types of Exercise to Reduce Stress
Not all workouts are created equal when it comes to stress relief. Here’s a breakdown of the most effective options:
- Mind-Body Exercises (Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates)
- These activities focus on breath control, mindfulness, and gentle movement, making them excellent for stress management.
- Research by Chong et al. (2011) found that 60–90-minute yoga sessions 2-3 times per week significantly reduced stress—sometimes even more effectively than other relaxation techniques. The authors further highlighted that even small burst of yoga exercises showed similar or greater than reduction in stress as compared to other stress management techniques (e.g., deep breathing).[ix]
- Aerobic Exercise (Running, Swimming, Cycling, Dancing)
- Cardio-based exercises have the strongest evidence for stress reduction.
- The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio per week for optimal stress relief.
- Workouts lasting 20-30 minutes are ideal for producing a post-exercise calming effect.[x]
- Resistance Training (Strength Training, Weightlifting, Bodyweight Workouts)
- Research on resistance training and stress relief is still emerging.
- A meta-analysis by Gordon et al. (2017) found that moderate-to-vigorous strength training have comparable effects on lowering anxiety symptoms as compared to aerobic training. However, the authors did not find any specific exercises which are best for decreasing anxiety symptoms, further highlighting the difficulty for prescribing resistance training for stress management.[ix][x]
Key takeaway: While cardio and yoga have the most research backing them for stress relief, the best workout to choose are the ones most enjoyable, adequately intensive and easiest to adhere. Contact a health professional, such as a physiotherapist at Propel Physiotherapy to help you in starting an individualized exercise program.
Practical Tips to Stay Active and Manage Stress
Even if we know exercise helps, sticking to a routine can be a challenge. Here are some practical tips:
If you’re short on time:
- Try “exercise snacking” – short bursts of movement throughout the day (e.g., take the stairs, do a quick 5-minute workout).
- Habit stack – pair movement with daily habits (e.g., do squats while brushing your teeth, stretch while watching TV).
If you lack motivation:
- Find an accountability buddy – workout with a friend or join a fitness class.
- Make it social – group classes (like Zumba, yoga, or spin) make exercising more fun and structured.
If you don’t know where to start:
- Consult a personal trainer or physiotherapist to build a stress-friendly workout plan.
- Start small – even 10-minute walks can have a positive impact on stress levels!
When to Seek Professional Help
Exercise is a great tool for managing stress, but it’s not a cure-all. Stress can affect everyone in different ways, as each person is unique in handling different situations. However, everyone can reach burnout. Here are some signs that may indicate when stress is becoming overwhelming:
- Stress interferes with daily life
- Such as work, relationships, daily functioning, sleep and overall well-being
- Unexplained physical symptoms
- Such as headaches, muscle tension, digestive issues, weight loss or gain.
- Emotional and behavioural changes
- Such as increase in anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, social withdrawal
- Poor coping strategies
- Such as alcohol abuse, smoking, over/under eating, over/under exercising
- Thoughts or attempts at self-harm or harm to others
- Please seek help immediately, such as calling 911, in such cases
If stress is taking over, reaching out to a health professional is the best step forward. Seeking help isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a step toward regaining control over your well-being.
Conclusion
Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but how we manage it makes all the difference. Exercise is one of the most powerful, science-backed ways to reduce stress, boost mood, and build resilience. Whether it’s yoga, running, weightlifting, or just a daily walk—movement is medicine.
So, find an activity you enjoy, get moving, and take control of your stress before it takes control of you!
References
[i] Dhabhar, F. S. (2009). Effects of stress on immune function: The good, the bad, and the beautiful. Immunology & Cell Biology, 87(1), 60-68.
[ii] Chen, X., Herbert, J., Zhen, Y., Luo, W., & Wang, C. (2017). The exercise-CORT paradox: Evidence from human and animal studies. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 163, 1-10. doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2016.11.004
[iii] Mastorakos, G., Pavlatou, M., Diamanti-Kandarakis, E., & Chrousos, G. P. (2005). Exercise and the stress system. Hormones (Athens), 4(2), 73-89. PMID: 16613809.
[iv] Chu, B., Marwaha, K., & Sanvictores, T., et al. (2024). Physiology, stress reaction. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
[v]McEwen, B. S. (2007). Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: Central role of the brain. Physiological Reviews, 87(3), 881-923.
Breus, M. J., & O’Connor, P. J. (1998). Exercise-induced anxiolysis: a test of the “time out” hypothesis in high anxious females. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 30(7), 1107–1112. doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199807000-00013
[vii] Chong, C. S. M., Tsunaka, M., Tsang, H. W. H., Chan, E. P., & Cheung, W. M. (2011). Effects of yoga on stress management in healthy adults: A systematic review. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 17(1), 32–38.
[viii] Jackson, E. M. (2013). Stress relief: The role of exercise in stress management. ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, 17(3), 14-19. doi.org/10.1249/FIT.0b013e31828cb1c9
[ix] Gordon, B. R., McDowell, C. P., Lyons, M., et al. (2017). The effects of resistance exercise training on anxiety: A meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of randomized controlled trials. Sports Medicine, 47, 2521–2532. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0769-0
[x] Cavarretta, D. J., Hall, E. E., & Bixby, W. R. (2018). The acute effects of resistance exercise on affect, anxiety, and mood – practical implications for designing resistance training programs. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12(1), 295–324. doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2018.1474941
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