Let’s face it. The world we live in is a virtual stress haven, forcing us to scramble every single day for a moment of relief from the hustle and bustle. As we struggle to find peace and relaxation, we often equate flopping down on the couch with a tub of chocolate ice cream the only way to unwind at the end of the day.

Unfortunately, the ice cream and the inactivity are actually working against you as you seek out that sense of inner-peace, and you may not even realize it. Maybe you wake up the next morning feeling more stressed and tense than the day before, creating an endless cycle we just can’t get ahead of.

According to the American Psychological Association, 75% of adults in the United States constantly feel stressed out. Stress leads to unhealthy lifestyles, which in the interim can compromise our long term health.

It’s not hard to believe that 3/4 of the U.S. population feels like they’re about to explode, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The editors of Fitness Magazine took some time to help explain why this constant state of stress contributes to the obesity factor, and how we can actually incorporate regular exercise into our daily routines to not only eliminate stress, but create a natural state of bliss into our every day lives.

The funny thing about this for me is I spent about eighteen months on the right track. I exercised every single day, no matter how I felt physically or emotionally, and for the most part I was more motivated, more relaxed and could cope with stressors far more easily than I was able to in the past. During that time, I lost sixty pounds and I felt more at peace with the world around me no matter what was going on.

Right now in my life I am facing an incredibly amount of stress and anxiety due to the fact that my fiance and I are going through the K-1 Visa process with U.S. and Canadian immigration so we can get married. Financially we’ve been under an extreme amount of stress, and emotionally the waiting and the worrying about what will happen from one day to the next threw my regular exercise routine out the window.

The lesson? I was 100% more stressed out than I should have been, often unable to cope with the trials of every day. Thankfully, this little reminder from the APA and Fitness Magazine steered me back onto the treadmill and just two days in I’m already feeling less stressed and abler to get through every day no matter what it throws at me.

So, if you’re feeling the crunch of life, no matter what the cause, get out there and sweat that stress out of your life. Trust me, your body will thank you, and so will your mind!