Sport

When you are stressed, your body mobilizes energy to be able to fight or flight. This response has supported the survival of our ancestors facing life-threatening situations. Nowadays we do not face often such stressors but our body response is similar and the mobilized energy is still expected to be used. This mismatch leads to excessive response in several systems in the body and can have harmful consequences. A good way to prevent the detrimental effects is therefore to use this energy through physical activity.

Studies from Prof. Markus Gerber, one of our member working at the University of Basel, have shown that a good cardiorespiratory fitness provides a good capacity to cope with stress and protects against stress-related symptoms of burnout and depression. They also observed that regular physical activity is associated with attenuated stress reactivity.

So do not wait any longer and find a physical activity that you like!