Stressed Out? Here’s Why The Gym Probably Shouldn’t Be Your First Port Of Call

Whether it’s boyfriend trouble, stress at work or friendship dramas, most of us deal with anger in one of two ways: we either hotfoot it to Tesco and grab whatever ice cream’s on offer, or we’ll throw on our active gear and pack ourselves off to the gym to sweat out the aggression.

Sadly, while the latter has long been considered an instant mood booster and stress reliever, scientists are now warning that it could be dangerous.

According to research published in the Heart Association journal Circulation, hard gym sessions while you’re angry or upset can drastically increase your risk of heart attack.

The researchers polled 12,461 heart attack patients and found that approximately one in seven of them had been emotional distraught or engaged in some type of physical activity leading up to the event.

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What’s more, it was found that people were three times more likely to have heart attacks after feeling angry and participating in strenuous exercise.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t give you permission to dive headlong into a tub of Ben N Jerry’s instead.

It’s noted that the majority of those polled were male and had an average age of 58, placing them in the higher risk category for a heart attack to begin with.

Add to that the study emphasises that it’s only strenuous exercise that places people at an increased risk, so maybe just skip the ice cream and walk it off the next time you need to let off steam, yeah?

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