Working Out Regularly Lowers Chemical Stress In The Body Related To Disease And Aging

It could happen.

"Aerobic exercise significantly decreased the chemical imbalances that can lead to heart disease and stroke in postmenopausal women according to a study in the spring issue of the Journal of Women and Aging. "

But what is important is another revelation.

"The chemical imbalance or stress - called oxidative stress - occurs when oxidants, harmful chemicals that damage tissue and cells, outnumber antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants protect cells and tissues against oxidants. Postmenopausal women have higher levels of oxidative stress.

Regular exercise of moderate intensity appears to reduce oxidative stress through an adaptive process that increases antioxidant activity."

Two things:

1. Training, not the impotent physical activity known as exercise, normally and naturally creates stress in the body and free radicals.
2. The body itself normally and naturally creates antioxidants to deal with them.

In other words, the system self-regulates and free radicals are a normal and natural part of the body's functioning.

Further, stress causes improvement. Stress is not the enemy. In fact, to improve at fitness (or just about any other undertaking) you have to stress yourself.

That stress is bad is a fantasy of the "stress-reducing" products industry.

It is likely that regular (i.e., progressive) training does not reduce the stress. It reduces the strain (the body's response to stress) through adaptation to training.

For the above reasons, the article has some value.

So does training.