Walking to Reduce Stress
Shared by Dr. Tim Dunn
As a Chiropractor, I know that stress can cause pain and that’s why I am constantly searching for ways that my patients can reduce their stress. Stress is often considered the silent killer so I dug into the research on how walking (physical activity) and relaxation when combined can help to reduce overall stress. Decreasing stress is important to our overall health and can help to improve our quality of life. In our chiropractic clinic we teach our patients that thinking well is just as important as moving and eating well.
Both physical activity and relaxation have been shown to have stress relief benefits. In this article they combined walking with balneotherapy (bathing in thermal mineral waters) and showed the benefits. In one group they just walked and rested afterwards by just sitting. In the other group they walked and relaxed with balneotherapy. After testing the cortisol levels, blood pressure, state of mood, and subjective relaxation of the subjects they found that walking when combined with balneotherapy was more effective at reducing stress levels.
Quotes From Research Article
“The systolic blood pressure was reduced best when walking was combined with balneotherapy or resting (F = 7.34; p < .001).”
“The systolic blood pressure was reduced best when walking was combined with balneotherapy or resting (F = 7.34; p < .001).”
“Results suggest that combining physical activity and relaxation (resting or balneotherapy) is an advantageous short-term strategy for stress reduction as systolic blood pressure is reduced best while similar levels of relaxation can be obtained.”
This Research is important because many of us are stressed whether it be financially, emotionally, or physically. There are many stressors in our lives that all lead to more pain and inflammation and decreased quality of life. Walking when combined with balneotherapy can help to lower our stress levels and when combined with other healthy lifestyle techniques, our quality of life can increase dramatically. Our chiropractic team is dedicated to educating our patients about these kinds of topics and helping them think well. Come into one of our clinics today and learn more techniques to increase your quality of life and decrease your stress.
References
Matzer, F, Nagele, E, Lerch, N, Vajda, C, Fazekas, C. Combining walking and relaxation for stress reduction—A randomized cross-over trial in healthy adults. Stress and Health. 2018; 34: 266– 277. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2781
Our Message
When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our Chiropractors located in East Dallas, near the corner of Mockingbird Ln. and Abrams Rd., will teach you what the research says about how and why we should eat a better diet, move more and have more positive thoughts.