A growing body of research over the last 10 years substantiates that physical activity and exercise improves psychological well-being. These investigations suggest that individuals with improved levels of fitness are capable of handling stress more effectively than those who are less conditioned, inversely ,higher levels of fitness is also associated with less stress.
The method of exercise that benefits stress reduction is cardiovascular exercise performed at a moderate intensity with duration of 20 minutes or more. The specific mechanisms for this benefit is unclear, it seems to be a combination of physiological, biochemical, and psychosocial factors.
