Work burdening you with stress? Staying fit can help you deal!

Zee Media Bureau

London: Work stress is a common problem among most office-goers. Deadlines, pressure, job security, new tasks, new responsibilities, targets, etc., all seem to accumulate into stress, which can make you feel burdened and lead to many health-related issues.

There are many ways to deal with work-related stress, like time management, lesser expectations, accepting only those responsibilities which you feel you can control, etc., but more often than not, people tend to give up on them sooner or later.

A new study, however, has suggested that there is one sure shot way to deal with stress related to work – staying fit.

The study says that, regular exercise and physically fitness can assure you protection against the health hazards of professional stress.

The findings showed that a high fitness level offers particularly effective protection for professionals who experience a high degree of stress in the workplace — known as psychosocial stress.

Psychosocial stress is one of the key factors leading to illness-related absences from work. This type of stress is accompanied by impaired mental well-being and an increase in depressive symptoms.

It also raises the likelihood of cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and an unfavourable blood lipid profile.

Conversely, a high fitness level is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and fewer cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers said.

“The study is significant because it is precisely when people are stressed that they tend to engage in physical activity less often,” said Markus Gerber, Professor at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

To promote a physically active lifestyle, a high priority should be attached to the systematic measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness and the provision of theoretically sound and evidence-based physical activity counselling, the researchers stated.

In addition, the study also has direct implications for the therapy and treatment of stress-related disorders, Gerber said.

It therefore pays to stay physically active, especially during periods of high stress, the researchers noted in the paper published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (MSSE).

(With IANS inputs)