There are mainly two types of stress: good and bad stress. Good stress can increase productivity, focus, and the body’s ability to heal itself. On the other hand, bad stress can cause mental and physical disorders, including headaches, snap judgements, impatience, anger, depression, fear, as well as, stomach aches, sickness, nausea and weight gain. In today’s world, it seems inevitable that most of us would experience some form of bad stress, whether it be from work, school, home, and other social circles. One of the best ways to counter stress is to release it. Over the years, I’ve kept my sanity simply by finding time to workout whenever I feel tense, restless or in a bad mood. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of exercising consistently, not just to stay in shape, but to get rid of all that unwanted stress. When you hit the bag, for instance, picture your bad day at work, your unreasonable boss, the mid-term you have to take, etc, etc, and continue to strike down these tense thoughts in your head until they go away. Purposeful activities keep you sane, productive, healthy, positive and feeling good. Specifically, exercise that releases stress can act as a constant valve, pumping away negativity from our body to keep us in good spirits. So keep punching & kicking away!!