It seems that aside from the benefits of how you look when you stay fit and exercise often, there may be some benefits for anxiety. It has been long accepted by most people that working out, while not always enjoyable in the short term, helps to relieve stress, and obviously is good for maintaining a slim waistline as well. It seems though, that there is a study showing that anxiety symptoms in women are seriously diminished among those women who exercise regularly.
(photo credit: Ambro)
Anxiety is kind of a big deal (note the sarcasm), and it is often a bigger deal among women. That isn’t to imply that women don’t handle anxiety well, but they do tend to be more prone to generalized anxiety disorders. Per Post-Gazette (dot) com, from Pittsburgh:
About 3 percent of Americans, most of them women, suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, which is defined by the National Institutes of Mental Health as “a pattern of frequent, constant worry and anxiety over many different activities and events.”
But in the Georgia study, psychologists found a “significant” decline in worry symptoms among the exercisers and “moderate to large” improvements in other symptoms, such as irritability, feelings of tension and pain. The improvement was greater among women who lifted weights.….Half the women receiving exercise therapy also were taking medication to reduce the effects of the disorder. Exercise reduced anxiety to the same degree whether the women were taking medication or not, the researchers found.
The drugs used to treat the anxiety disorder tend to be expensive and to produce unpleasant side effects.
Take a moment to contemplate the point that women who lifted weights showed a more siginificant improvement than the women who didn’t. Women are often loathe to enter the weight room for a variety of reasons. The most common reason being a fear of growing too big and bulky. Others are intimidated by the perception of a “meat head” atmosphere that is filled with testosterone driven freaks and gym bunnies that aren’t overly sympathetic to new faces on the weight room floor.
The first point cannot be further from the truth, as most women will lack the physiology to grow overly big and muscle bound. It is possible, but it is very unlikely. Many women who begin to lift weights notice that their posture is better, they feel stronger and more energetic, and all of the body parts that they wish to improve upon respond much better as opposed to slogging through long turns on the treadmill.
The second point regarding a bit of anxiety over the reception that women may or may not receive on the gym floor is probably a bit overblown. Most people at the gym just want to get their workout done and get on with their days. Some people may judge, but that’s how it is in every situation in life, right?
So, to cap it off, anxiety symptoms in women are reduced at approximately the same rate whether taking drugs or not (according to the study, not my words) if part of the regimen includes exercising and lifting weights.
Sounds like a pretty impressive way of handling some stress and getting anxiety a bit more under control. Of course, consult with your physician and ask him or her if exercise is a good idea, and be sure you’re healthy enough to maintain your workouts.
Think anyone could use some of this information? If you’d click the +1 or “Like” button below, that would be much appreciated. Share with your friends and drop a comment if you’ve got some perspective on these things. Remember also, that lifting weights and exercising may be shown in this study to decrease anxiety symptoms in women, but the fellas may also get some benefit and should probably take a look at whether an exercise regimen could benefit them as well. Also, be sure to pay a visit to Post-Gazette for the whole article.
