Sweat away your stress. Men who are fit and active feel more prepared to tackle a packed to-do list , finds new research from Finland.
In the study, guys with the highest levels of physical activity, cardio fitness, and muscular strength experienced less stress than those who notched lower levels. They also scored higher on tests of “mental resources”—how energetic, capable, and confident they felt about their daily tasks.
The researchers aren’t exactly sure how exercise and physical strength bolster these measures, but they do have a theory: Better fitness can help your brain buffer the effects of things that stress you out.
And that reduction in stress comes with a subsequent boost in well-being, which might help you to develop more mental resources, says study author Oili Kettunen, P.h.D (c).
The study didn’t look into how much exercise was necessary for this brain boon, but the researchers believe moderate activity for 30 minutes 5 days a week, or vigorous activity for 20 minutes 3 days a week should be enough.
