Stress and Exercise

Before I get deep into my thoughts and understandings over the subject of stress and exercise, I'd like to announce that I picked up my first set of adjustable dumbbells today.

I picked up a set of Powerblocks (http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3903097&cid=CSE:GoogleProductSearch), the 5lbs-50lbs classic set.  These things are super convenient for $299 and I also bought the stand (~$67) for easier quick-weight selection, as well as a bit of relief on my back from lowering to the floor to pick them up.  I simply slide a bar into the weight selection I want on each dumbbell, and lift the weight off the stand/ground.
They aren't as pretty as the Bowflex SelectTechs, but the ones (SelectTechs) in the store were broken, unlike the Powerblocks.  I'm pretty excited for next week to start up so I can get back to some heavy resistance and test these out, I especially am excited to be able to do strip-sets without having to pause my DVD while I fumble around with the weights.
Now currently the weight only goes to 50lbs (Increments of 5lbs) per dumbbell, but there are a couple of upgrade kits I can buy when I am ready that will increase the weight up to 100, and I think 130 or 120 was the final upgrade kit for them.  They also have a 10 year warranty that I don't feel I'll need to use with them.

Now on to the topic of stress, how you feel, and how to feel better...

Most people tend to tense up muscles in their body when they are stressed out, particularly around their shoulders and back.  You never really notice that you do it, it's similar to when you are in pain you might tighten your fists, or grind your teeth, or tighten up your shoulders, your body does this reactively.
Its not healthy when your muscles do not get a chance to loosen up and relax, it causes pain and in general is just not good for your muscles to be so tight.
The easiest way to alleviate this pain is to get your blood pumping and move your body.  Do some light cardio on a treadmill or go for a jog, or just do some jumping jacks.  When you exercise and your heart starts to move that blood faster, endorphin chemicals (Happy chemicals!) are released and they bring up your mood and help your muscles relax.

For a lot of people it sounds silly, because they might tend to be the people who are often stressed and don't get much exercise in their weekly agenda.  If you 4-6 days of just cardio a week, you'll find that your mood will become more positive on a regular basis, and probably will feel much less tense around the shoulders and back.  This might be a good time to build a new habit and make 45 minutes of time for exercise into your regular daily routine.

The other people, the ones who do have a regular fitness schedule tied in with their daily lives, sometimes you just cant stay motivated.  Stress is like a blanket of suffocation sometimes, you don't feel like doing anything, you don't want to workout you just want to sit and relax (honestly, how often does that sitting and relaxing NOT turn into a pool of stressful thoughts and worry?).
My first suggestion to overcome this is just try to find some kind of motivation to ATTEMPT to start a workout.  Often times once you start it, you feel like you might as well keep going and eventually your finished and feeling better.
My second suggestion, find a friend.  Get a workout buddy, give them a call and let them know you just cant get the motivation to move.  Having a workout partner makes it harder to fall off track, because you share the same accountability and they see you 'giving up' and want you to keep trying.

Basically, feeling stressed breaks your motivation to get moving, but getting some exercise will break down that stress.  Think of it like a headache and Tylenol - You know that if you take it, you still need a good 30 minutes of suffering before it kicks in, but eventually it'll relieve that headache from you - same thing with exercise, you gotta suffer for a few minutes until your body gets into it, and you'll feel good by the end.