Walk Off the Stress. Stay in the Game.

The term walk it off is often heard on the playing field when an athlete gets injured: “You’ll get through it; just walk it off.”

The original context of the expression is actually quite literal. For an injured player, walking up and down the sidelines until the pain is subsided improves the chance that the coach will put the player back in the game. The term can also metaphorically mean getting something off your chest or out of your system.

In life, stress can take us off the playing field if we don’t learn how to walk it off. Physical activity is one of the best ways to get us back in the game.

Go here to read my complete blog and learn how to increase your exercise and decrease your stress levels.

April is Stress Awareness Month, and Qsource has tools and resources on its Cardiac Health page to help you decrease stress and improve your health. Among several others, resources include Every Body Walk and Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. You can also find more help at the Federal Occupational Health Stress page.

Corley Roberts, Quality Improvement Advisor, MHA, CPHQ, ACSM-HFS

Corley Roberts is an exercise physiologist and a certified Health Fitness Specialist. A published author and public speaker, she is founder of MyFitScript, a resource for education and exercise programs based on chronic disease and age. Corley currently works for Qsource, an Qsource member, as a Quality Improvement Advisor specializing in readmissions reduction.