Why movement matters when stress is high

Stress is a part of everyday life — but when it becomes chronic, it can quietly take a toll on both our heart health and overall wellbeing. 

This February, Heart Research Australia’s REDFEB campaign shines a spotlight on the connection between stress and heart health, encouraging Australians to take simple, proactive steps to protect their hearts. Kieser is proud to support Heart Research Australia by helping educate the community on how stress impacts the heart — and importantly, what we can do about it.

Movement plays a powerful role in managing stress and supporting heart health, but it’s most effective when combined with other key lifestyle habits. In this blog, we explore how regular, structured movement can help regulate stress, how stress affects the heart, and how the 4 Ms can work together to protect your heart and help you feel stronger, calmer and more resilient.

Why movement matters when stress is high

Stress is part of modern life. Work, family, notifications, and health worries can leave many of us feeling constantly “on.” Stress affects more than your mind. Over time, it takes a toll on your heart.

For people living with chronic stress, movement is not just about fitness. It is a powerful way to protect the heart and help the body recover.

How stress affects the body

When we feel stressed, the body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Short-term, this prepares us for action, but chronic stress keeps these hormones high.

This can lead to:

• faster heart rate and higher blood pressure

• less flexible blood vessels

• harder-to-control blood pressure spikes

• increased inflammation, contributing to plaque in arteries and risk of higher heart disease and major cardiovascular events.

The risk of “doing nothing”

Stress alone affects the heart, but combined with little movement, the risk increases. Sitting or being inactive can:

• keep blood pressure high

• make cholesterol harder to manage

• reduce blood flow and slow blood sugar control

• allow inflammation to build.

Ongoing stress also makes it harder for the body to recover and reset. The heart doesn’t slow down and recover as easily after stress, and the body spends less time in “rest and repair” mode. Over time, this can lead to stiffer blood vessels, higher blood pressure at rest, less flexibility in how the body uses energy, and a reduced ability to cope with sudden physical or emotional stress.

How movement protects the heart

Movement does much more than help you burn calories, it works across the body, supporting:

• heart and blood vessels

• hormones and energy levels

• recovery from stress.

Each time you move, your body:

• Uses and clears stress hormones

• Improves blood flow and oxygen delivery

• Keeps blood vessels flexible

• Releases anti-inflammatory substances from muscles

• Helps manage blood sugar and cholesterol

• Supports better sleep

• Helps the heart cope with and recover from stress

Consistency matters more than intensity. Moving regularly is far more effective than waiting for the perfect time or program.

More than cardio

Heart health is not just about cardio. Strength training helps the heart in different ways that complement traditional cardio. For people under chronic stress, these benefits are especially valuable. Lifting weights or doing resistance exercises:

• trains blood vessels to handle pressure and reduce spikes

• improves heart recovery and lowers risk of irregular heartbeats

• increases blood flow and supports healthy vessels

• helps control cholesterol and blood sugar for up to two days after exercise

• provides a healthy outlet for stress hormones and

• improves nervous system balance.

Strength training does not just make the heart stronger. It makes it more resilient.

Movement and the nervous system

The heart and nervous system respond quickly to positive changes. When we feel stressed, the body goes into “fight-or-flight” mode, which raises heart rate and blood pressure and prepares us for action.

Movement helps use that extra energy and sends a signal to the brain that the stress is being handled. It:

• helps stress hormones leave the body

• activates the rest and repair system, slowing heart rate and lowering blood pressure.

Regular movement trains the body to handle stress in a predictable way, improving heart and nervous system flexibility and reducing inflammation. Without movement, the fight-or-flight response can stay active for too long, putting extra strain on the heart.

Easy ways to start moving

Many people under stress feel overwhelmed, not lazy. They may be tired, have rising blood pressure or cholesterol, poor sleep, or weight gain. For people under stress, the idea of “exercise” can feel exhausting. The key message is simple: doing something is better than doing nothing.

Movement is not a test of discipline. It’s a way to offload stress from the system. If movement doesn’t feel relieving, it’s likely too much. Tips to start small:

• five minutes of walking or gentle strength exercises

• stand or move every hour

• walk during phone calls

• take the stairs instead of the lift.

Focus on how movement makes you feel: calmer breathing, less tension, a clearer mind. Gentle, regular movement is more helpful than pushing too hard.

Within a few weeks to months of increasing movement, people often see:

• more stable blood pressure

• better sleep

• steadier energy

• feeling more in control of their bodies.

Movement does not remove stress, but it restores the body’s ability to recover, which protects the heart.

The long-term impact

Regular movement over time:

• lowers blood pressure and inflammation

• improves oxygen delivery to the heart

• supports cholesterol and blood sugar control

• reduces risk of heart rhythm problems and heart events.

Mentally, it sends repeated signals to the brain that your body is safe, improving emotional regulation and restoring confidence.

The key takeaway

Movement does more than strengthen the heart. It teaches your nervous system that your body is safe.

With regular, manageable movement:

• the heart works more efficiently and recovers faster

• the brain receives calmer signals

• thinking becomes clearer, reactions less intense, and emotions steadier

You do not need intensity, willpower, or perfection. Moving regularly is enough to protect your heart and reduce stress.

The goal is not to work off stress. It is to teach your body that stress does not mean danger. That is when both heart and mental health can start to improve.

REDFEB: Wear Red. Donate. Save Lives.

REDFEB is Heart Research Australia’s annual campaign held every February to raise awareness and funds for life-saving heart research. Every 10 minutes, an Australian has a heart attack, and its impact is still felt long after the actual event for many and their loved ones.

Learn more about the theme of the 2026 REDFEB campaign 'Stress: The Silent Epidemic' and get involved this February at Heart Research Australia.

Written by Ashleigh Fuller, Accredited Exercise Physiologist.

Ashleigh Fuller is the Principal Exercise Physiologist at Kieser Sandringham and Caulfield. She has a special interest in working with people with cardiac, cancer, and neurological conditions.