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Reducing stress through exercise by Annie Cruzan Harper Student Wellness Center This week’s wellness column topic can be explored in the Children’s Hospital lobby Wednesday, April 26, as part of an ongoing series presented by the Employee Wellness Program.   Everyone deals with some form of stress in their daily lives. From the early morning rush to work and school, driving or sitting in traffic, meetings and deadlines, carpools, literally running errands, to fitting in housework, homework, etc….phew, you name it, and it can produce stress.   All stress doesn’t have to be bad or have a negative impact on the body. Certainly, our attitudes and perceptions of situations have a huge impact on how we deal with stress, and research has shown that individuals who exercise on a regular basis handle stress better.   The body’s normal response to a life-threatening or even challenging circumstance is to go into a stress- responding mode. Changes take place within the body that allow for an increase in heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and production of hormones that enable us to “fight or take flight.” However, many times we have stress develop in our lives simply because of changes that occur. How we respond to these changes will, in part, determine how much of an impact stress has on us.   Another important factor of how we handle stress is our physical health, particularly our level of physical conditioning. Studies have concluded that exercise is one positive way to cope with stress. Physically active or fit individuals tend to have fewer stress-related health problems and are likely to have fewer symptoms of depression.   Aerobic exercise and resistance training have been found to be helpful in reducing anxiety and depression. The University of Iowa suggests that aerobic exercise be performed at least three days a week for at least 30 minutes to be an effective buffer against the harmful effects of stress.   Check with your health care provider before beginning a moderate to strenuous exercise program and then connect with a qualified fitness professional to begin your program.   The Harper Student Center will be offering information on exercise and its impact on stress along with blood pressure measurements from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 26 in the MUSC Children’s Hospital lobby.   Also, if you are interested in checking out a yoga, core board, Tai Chi, cardio tennis or any other aerobic class,  a drawing for free day passes  to the Harper Student Center will be held.   For everyone who comes by, there will be an additional treat. Jack Kenna, certified massage therapist, will give chair massage demonstrations to help “de-stress.” Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of the Employee Wellness Program. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA, and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.     Friday, April 21, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island papers at 849-1778, ext. 201.