Your daily dog walk around the park could be doing more for you than just keeping your waistline in check. Staying physically fit may also play a significant role in helping you maintain your cool when you’re under pressure, according to a review of the accumulated research about the physiological effects of exercise on stress levels. “As you toughen your body by exercising it regularly, you may also be improving its ability to respond to stress,” says Laura Stroud, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School and coauthor of the research review.

Getting cardiovascular exercise such as walking, jogging or swimming, at least four or five times a week builds up your body’s stress stamina by reducing your resting heart rate and lowering your blood pressure. Then, when your tension levels spike, your body doesn’t react as strongly and you’re better able to take stress in stride. —Tricia Tisak