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Exercise is one of the most important tools for battling stress. Even when practiced for short durations, regular periods of physical activity can help restore hormone balance and calm your nervous system. When you experience a stressful situation, cortisol and adrenaline ramp up your heart rate within seconds, heightening your mental acuity and rallying your muscle strength. The problem, of course, is that too much marshalling of these forces can overwhelm the body, especially when you don't take measures to counter the effects.

"When you feel stressed for longer periods of time, the sympathetic nervous system continues to operate in overdrive, and your body may begin to suffer," says Dr. James S. Gordon, founder and director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. "If you're in this state of fight or flight for long enough, the resulting muscular tension can trigger backaches and headaches. You might also experience a weakened immune system, digestive problems, fatigue, and insomnia or depression."

Exercise can go beyond just toning muscles and burning calories to actually help rebuild your strength -- inside and out. "It can also aim deeper into the systems that need the most help," says fitness expert and Body+Soul contributor Ellen Barrett. "To undo the ill effects of stress, a blend of calming and energizing exercises will support your overstimulated nervous system."

In the following 10-minute routine, Barrett combines inversions to promote blood flow to the brain and more invigorating exercises to increase circulation. Each set of movements centers on the spine, which plays a key role in the release of tension.

Not convinced that 10 minutes will do the trick? Remember that relieving tension is the goal here. "When you're overstressed," says Barrett, "your intention is to repair the body -- not give it a hard-core workout."

First Published: April/May 2007