Exercise — The New Happy Hour

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(Today’s entry is a guest post by Missy Hawthorne, RN, CSCS)
It’s five PM and your work day is finally coming to an end! The stress of the day is still with you as you get into your car and start home. The highway is at a standstill and so there is no break from the stress. As the road begins to open up, you realize, a drink is starting to sound pretty good.
How do you handle stress? Does the stress of your day make you want a beer, wine, or cocktail to relax? Or perhaps your doctor has prescribed an antidepressant? Or if you are a smoker, maybe you just can’t wait for that first cigarette when you leave work. I don’t have to tell you that smoking isn’t good for you and we need to keep our alcohol intake at moderate levels.
So what can you do to more effectively shake off the stress of the day? Exercise. Not only is exercise a good stress reliever, it has even been found to be effective against the depression that can come as a result.
Researchers have found that exercise can work at least as well against mild to moderate depression as any other treatment, including drug therapy. Previous studies have suggested that exercise programs can take weeks to improve depression, stress and/or anxiety, but a new study showed that even a single workout can provide immediate benefits in boosting the mood of the severely depressed.1
A study at Duke University Read the rest of this entry


















