Key takeaways

  • Exercise can help manage stress by lowering cortisol levels, boosting endorphins, and improving blood circulation. It may also distract your mind from stressful thoughts.
  • Almost any type of physical activity can relieve stress, including aerobic activities like walking or swimming, resistance training like weightlifting, and mindful movements like yoga.
  • The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise weekly, plus 2 days of resistance training. However, even 10 minutes of moderate exercise may boost your mood.

Exercise is one of the best strategies for managing stress, and it can also improve other aspects of your health.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), exercise can help manage stress by boosting your mood and energy levels, improving sleep quality, and relieving tension and anxiety.

There are several ways in which physical activity can relieve stress. Some of these involve internal, biological processes, such as the release of chemicals and hormones in your brain. Others are due to external factors, such as distraction.

Similarly, there are many different types of exercises that are beneficial, ranging from high intensity workouts to slow, meditative movements. There’s no single best “workout” plan for stress management. The key is to find a well-balanced, sustainable routine that works for you.

Keep reading to learn more about how to use exercise to help you manage stress, including the different types of activities, how long to exercise each week, and tips to get started.

This article is Day 4 of Healthline’s 14-day Stress Reset Challenge. Follow along to discover simple ways to reduce stress, build healthier habits, and feel more balanced.

Missed a day? Catch up with Day 3: Foods That Lower Cortisol, or continue on to Day 5: How to Do a Digital Detox.

Exercise can help relieve stress by triggering neurobiological adaptations in the brain and altering hormone levels.

According to a 2023 review, exercise can improve the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the body’s primary response to stress. This can lead to lower adrenaline and cortisol levels, the hormone linked to stress, and to the rebalancing of hormones like leptin and ghrelin.

Exercise can also increase your brain’s production of endorphins, the feel-good neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of positivity, well-being, and euphoria. It also stimulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports the production, growth, and adaptation of neurons and other brain pathways.

Stress reduction is also due to physiological adaptations that occur during exercise. It increases your heart and breathing rates, which can improve oxygen and blood circulation, and reduce inflammation.

Lastly, exercise can help take your mind off stressful thoughts, situations, and feelings. Focusing on a single task, such as the rhythm of your movements, muscle activation, or your breathing, may activate calmness and clarity.

Some people notice an improvement in their mood immediately after a workout. Those feelings tend to build up over time.

Almost any form of physical activity can help relieve stress, and it doesn’t have to be very long and strenuous.

Healthcare professionals and researchers often categorize exercise into three types: aerobic, resistance, and high intensity interval exercise. Mindful movement is another common type of exercise.

Regularly engaging in any type of exercise can help relieve stress long term, but developing a balanced exercise routine that you enjoy is the most important part, as you’ll be more likely to stick with it and it’ll bring you joy.

Here are some examples of exercises that can help relieve stress:

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic activities increase your breathing rate and heart rate. Many of these movements can be performed at a moderate intensity for longer, sustained periods.

Some examples of aerobic exercises that could help relieve stress include:

High intensity exercises

High intensity exercises typically involve shorter bursts of aerobic exercise at a high intensity. This is often known as high intensity interval training (HIIT). Some examples of HIIT exercises:

Resistance exercise

Resistance training exercises focus on pushing or pulling against a form of resistance to engage, build, and strengthen your muscles. Some common types of resistance training include:

Mindful movement

Mindful movements are exercises that typically focus on breathwork, holding positions, and releasing tension. Some examples include:

Public health organizations and researchers often recommend engaging in a minimum amount of aerobic and resistance training each week to support your overall health and well-being.

  • Aerobic exercise: at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise
  • Resistance exercise: at least 2 days targeting all of the body’s major muscles in the legs, chest, back, shoulders, and core

However, when it comes to stress relief, a 2018 review suggests that 10 minutes of moderate intensity exercise may be enough to boost your mood.

If you’re new to an exercise program, take your time and gradually build up your physical activity level.

Here are some ways to help you stay motivated, active, and engaged with a sustainable exercise regimen to beat stress.

Find an activity you enjoy

Begin with low intensity, fun exercise activities you enjoy.

From Health Editors

“I find it easier to consistently exercise if I’m doing a type of physical activity I really enjoy. For example, I’m not a huge fan of running but I love dancing, so trying dance workouts turned exercise into something I now look forward to and want to maintain.”

— Megan, Editor

Read more about 30 exercises to make your at-home workouts fun and effective.

Quotes represent individual opinions. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Start slowly and rest

Launching into a very ambitious workout routine from the beginning can lead to burnout and injury, and you might end up dropping the routine entirely.

In fact, excessive physical activity without sufficient rest can lead to higher stress levels and burnout, a condition known as overtraining syndrome.

From Our Editors

“Getting up to exercise sets the tone for my morning, even if that means a light stretching day. But I also need to give myself grace. I recognize I’m not the person who’s going to do a HIIT workout every morning.

So instead of forcing that on myself or trying to be a square peg in a round hole, I’ve given myself permission to enjoy some mornings in bed with my warm toasty beagle before the kids wake up, and not stress about rushing into the day.”

— Catherine, Editor

Learn more about the benefits of exercise rest days.

Quotes represent individual opinions. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Schedule your exercise

Plan your exercises and set aside time for yourself. Scheduling a routine will eliminate the stress of feeling you should be doing something else. This is the time you set aside just for yourself.

From Our Editors

“I’ve joined a 45-minute fitness class that takes place during my lunch break, and it’s been a game-changer for my mood, energy levels, and social circle!”

— Alex, Editor

Learn more about how to split your workouts during the week.

Quotes represent individual opinions. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Exercise with other people

Invite friends or family to work out with you. It’ll help you keep each other motivated. Walking is a great starting point for many people. If you want to do more intense exercise, you can gradually build up to it.

From Our Editors

“Exercising with a friend is my best motivation. It’s a mutual relationship — you benefit by receiving encouragement and motivation, and you can also provide it in return. They hold you accountable and vice versa.”

— Sarah, Editor

Learn more about activities the Healthline team does during the week.

Quotes represent individual opinions. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Set up SMART goals

SMART goal setting is a great way to stay on track with your exercise routine. SMART stands for:

  • Specific: Define it as clearly as possible. A goal like “lose weight” or “get healthy” is too general.
  • Measurable: Put numbers to it, if possible.
  • Attainable: It has to be realistic, or you’ll never achieve it.
  • Relevant: Make sure it’s what you want for yourself, not what others think you should do.
  • Time-bound: Set yourself a deadline.

Here’s an example of a SMART goal: “I will lose 7 pounds (3.1 kilograms) in 2 months.”

Once you have an overarching SMART goal like the one above, set a few action-oriented SMART goals you’ll achieve every week. For the example goal above, these could be:

  • I will go for five 2-mile (3.2-km) walks each week.
  • I will do 10 push-ups every day before I start work.
  • I will do one yoga class using a smartphone app every Saturday morning.

Consider speaking with a healthcare professional or certified personal trainer about which types of exercise are right for you and how much to do, especially if you have a chronic health condition.

They can help you develop a safe and effective workout routine while taking your specific condition and fitness level into account.

It’s also important to assess the sources of stress and address them, if needed. Try practicing other stress-relieving activities and seek help from a psychologist or other healthcare professional to get to the root of your stress.

Exercise can help relieve stress in several ways, such as activating neurotransmitters, balancing hormones, and helping you focus on something other than stressful thoughts.

Combining resistance exercise, mindful movements, and aerobic exercise in your weekly regimen can help you develop a balanced, sustainable routine.

Consider speaking with a healthcare professional if you’re unsure about the best types, duration, or intensity of exercise for you. They can help develop a plan tailored to your individual needs.