A solid workout can do wonders in helping you put a stressful day behind you. Apart from the natural "high" people receive from the release of endorphins, new research also points to exercise as a means of protecting the heart from the physical impairment that can be brought on by stress.

In a study conducted at University College London, researchers measured stress levels in middle-age adults. They found that when you are stressed, your body responds by creating inflammatory chemicals that can lead to severe physical damage, including the clogging of your arterial walls. However, the researchers also found that among these middle-age adults, those what were the fittest had one-fifth the amount of chemicals in their blood as those who were fairly inactive.

The key is to find an exercise program that works for you. Magazines and books are great sources for a variety of exercise programs to choose from, but it sometimes takes a little personal trial and error before you find the right one for you and your schedule.

Massages are one of my favourite ways to relax, though because I don't have any real back or neck problems, they often seem like a frivolous indulgence for me (albeit a worthy one.) But here's some great news if you're looking for an excuse to get massaged -- they can prevent heart attacks! It all comes down to a group of cells in your neck that are connected to the area in your brain that helps control your blood pressure and your breathing. This is according to a study done at the University of Leeds.

So next time you're in need of some serious de-stressing, instead of reaching for the comfort food, treat yourself to a massage.

An important step in having a healthy heart is reducing your stress. Yeah, it's not as easy as it sounds, especially when we're working long hours and trying to fulfill family and personal obligations. If you're struggling to find ways to de-stress, here are some suggestions from celebrities:

• Joely Fisher cranks up her music and dances around her living room
• Kathy Griffin indulges in cheesy reality TV
• Nancy Travis gets a massage
• Daisy Fuentes relies on her significant other to calm her down
• Sharon Osbourne eats chocolate -- the dark kind

To see what more celebs have to say, check out the slideshow!

Hypertension is common today, and nearly 1/3 of adults suffering from the condition. Though medication can help to bring your blood pressure back in line, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, there are other natural methods you can try as well that may eventually allow you to reduce or stop your medication altogether (under the supervision of your doctor, of course). Some of his suggestions include:

• losing 10% of your total weight
• limiting caffeine and alcohol
• eliminating cigarettes
• reducing salt and processed foods

Dr. Weil also believes that relaxation techniques, including yoga and breathing exercises, can help calm the involuntary nervous system. Read more about relaxation techniques for controlling blood pressure here at Mayo Clinic.

If you're the type who needs an excuse to go on vacation and do some traveling then here it is: do it for your health. People who take regular vacations are less likely to have heart attacks, to suffer depression, and report having less stress in their lives in general. Vacationers are supposedly even happier at work and in their marriages!

By traveling somewhere relaxing and fun about twice a year, and not letting yourself stress about work and other issues, you can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by 50% compared to people who rarely get away.

So what are you waiting for? Start packing!

Feeling a little stressed lately? If I were to give you a penny, would that make it all better? You're probably thinking that I'm crazy to even suggest that your stress can be reduced for a mere penny, but I beg to differ. It turns out that copper may counteract the negative effects of stress, something that I'm sure your heart would appreciate over time.

A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, revealed that copper deficiency can increase a person's risk of heart disease. Moreover, in a test on lab mice, researchers discovered that administering a daily dose of copper to mice with stress-induced heart disease caused their hearts to pump normally again. Evidently, dietary copper offsets stress by promoting the growth of new blood vessels and keeping an over-taxed heart from enlarging.

Now if gas could only cost a penny per gallon -- that would be a sure-fire way to reduce some stress in people!!

Smoking bans are a great idea -- they make the air cleaner for non-smokers and reduce the amount of time that smokers spend puffing on the old cancer sticks. Smoking bans have even been shown to lead to a big drop in coronary heart disease ... in smaller towns, that is. According to this, it's a phenomenon that is just emerged as cities and towns implement smoking bans -- a decrease in heart conditions are only seen in smaller urban areas when a smoking ban comes into effect.

Why is this? The original post cites statistics and the incorrect assumption that because two things are linked, one causes the other. Which is true, but it makes me curious, especially since I live in a large city. Is pollution a substantial reason behind heart attacks? The stress of living in a busy urban centre? Road rage? I think it's a good reminder that we need to look after ourselves and our hearts and not assume that our environments will help keep us healthy.

What do you think?

It doesn't matter how your doing it, what matters is that your doing it at all. I'm talking about exercise, of course. (What did you think I was talking about?) Physical activity is one of the cornerstones of good heart health, and the British Health Foundation wants you to know that sex is one way to get in some of that exercise. Their newest slogan reads, "Get your 30 minutes a day, any way."

Not only is sex good for cardiovascular fitness, it can improve overall health as well. It reduces blood pressure, helps you sleep, and can even make you look younger. Not only that, it increases the amount of DHEA in your system, which is important to your immune system. If that's not enough, studies have shown that couples who are happily married are more likely to have a greater life expectancy than those who don't. Even holding hands with someone you love can reduce stress.

So if you missed that walk or that workout today, go squeeze your sweetie. It all counts...it really does.

In the good ol' U.S of A. we drink coffee. Lots and lots of it, in fact. By contrast, our friends across the pond seem to prefer a spot of tea. Same goes for those living in the far east. Probably other places too, but honestly, I don't have the time to research where all the regions rated highest in tea consumption. Even trying to compile such a list would likely drive my stress levels through the roof. Fortunately, researchers have discovered that drinking tea may help reduce stress (regardless, I'm still not putting together that list).

In a U.K. study, researchers had a group of men drink either 4 cups of black tea daily. Another group drank a placebo beverage that contained the same amount of caffeine. After six weeks, the men were asked to engage in stressful activities (though I could not find examples in the research of what was deemed "stressful activities") whilst scientists kept record of their behavior and anxiety. It turned out that the tea drinkers had 20 percent lower stress levels than the men drinking the caffeinated placebo. What's more, the tea drinking men stated that they also felt more relaxed.

Now for the 'Why.' Well, it seems as though the research sort of stopped with the actual experiment, because the scientists have yet to determine why tea seemingly reduced stress levels.

And fine, here's your dang list. The things I do for you guys...

1) India

2) China

3) Russia

4) U.K.

5) Japan

6) Turkey

7) Pakistan

8) U.S.

9) Iran

10) Egypt

Finding a balance between work and working out is one of the great American struggles these days. We have so much going on, it's nearly impossible to fit in activity. So here's a solution I never thought I would see ... the work-while-you-workout exercise station. Really, I guess it was only a matter of time before they developed something like this, but I think it's ridiculous. How can you type and run? Or make a conference call while you're trying to catch your breath? And even if you could, why would you want to? My time on the treadmill is the precious break I get from my computer, which I seem to be on all the time now thanks for facebook. And exercise is supposed to be stress relieving, not stress inducing.

Seriously folks, if you feel like you need to work while you work out, you need a break. The office will survive without you for an hour. Working out is so important but so is taking the time off work to do something for yourself.

What do you think?

If you suffer from heart disease it obviously adds a degree of stress and worry to your life, but although it's understandable (and all-to-common) you still want to look at ways to keep your anxiety levels as low as possible. A new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that high levels of chronic anxiety can increase the risk of heart attack and death for patients with heart disease.

Further research is needed to pinpoint exactly how and why this happens, and separate out other factors that may also contribute. But the results make sense considering stress has been shown to harm cardiovascular health, and anxiety is a form of stress. For help on reducing your anxiety and stress levels, try this post from earlier this year, and this article on anxiety in women.

Inflammation has been named as a culprit in a number of chronic diseases, and the results of a 45-year study are adding fuel to that particular fire.

The study, which followed 2,800 healthy adults for several decades, found a link between elevated white blood cell counts and premature death, especially from cardiovascular disease. Though the connection is significant -- researchers found that every time white blood counts over 3,500 rose by 1,000 the risk of death increased by 10% -- it's not clear whether the higher white blood count caused the disease or was a reaction to it. However, those in the study who had the highest blood counts tended to smoke and be less active, and white blood counts in general dropped in study subjects over the years as lifestyle habits improved.

A normal white blood count is between 4,500 and 10,000 cells per microliter, and though those with counts higher than 10,000 were at the greatest risk, even those in the high end of normal were at risk. Though experts seem to agree that this finding is important scientifically, when it comes to treating heart disease it doesn't change screening or treatment decisions.

What is it about nuts that researchers at Penn State find so interesting? After just finishing a post about their macadamia nut/cholesterol lowering study, I came across so information about their investigation into the stress reduction properties of pistachios.

Pistachios -- now those are nuts that actually taste good. Salty like sunflower seeds, they remind me of little league -- only without having to dread facing pitchers who figured out how to throw curveballs by that age. Anyway, as I was saying before I drifted back to my childhood -- pistachios, yes, pistachios appear to aid in the relaxation of the arteries.

Using a physical and psychological test (involving some strange test that involved submerging the subjects' foot in ice cold water and asking them to do simple math problems), researchers found that subjects who consumed pistachios did appear to have some effect on acute stress reaction.

Considering that people who have large cardiovascular responses to stress tend to be more likely to contract hypertension later in life, it may be worthwhile to grab a handful of pistachios (and other foods that are high in unsaturated fats and antioxidants) fairly regularly.

By the way, I still can't hit a curveball.

Did you know that between 60 to 90 percent of all doctors' visits are related to anxiety, insomnia, depression, obsessive anger and hostility, high blood pressure and heart attacks? It's true. And what is the common link among each of these issues listed? Stress!!!!!!!!!

Because stress signals your body to respond with surges of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, blood pressure rises and your heart beats faster. We stress about our jobs, we stress about money, we stress about being stuck in traffic, we stress about stress! It becomes a vicious circle of stress begetting more stress, and it is a very damaging to our cardiovascular health.

How do we fix it? Some doctors suggest relaxing with meditation. Simply find a nice, quiet area to spend about 10 to 20 minutes breathing slow, deep and focused breaths. You can also repeat a word or sound, a mantra to help you drift off a bit in your mind.

I know what some of you must already be thinking: "Who has 10 to 20 minutes to waste sitting alone in a room?" Everyone's schedule is hectic (hence the stress in the first place) and time is a valuable commodity. But, 10 to 20 minutes? It's very do-able. First thing in the morning, middle of the day, before bed -- I'm sure the time is there somewhere. And, based on the research, these 10 to 20 minutes will not be wasted at all.

Meditation, siestas, and naps all are used to re energize us. I have friends who swear by the 20 minute power nap. But in a society where everyone pumps caffeine to stay awake and working 12 or more hours a day is becoming common place, can we take the advice of the Archives of Internal Medicine telling us that taking naps reduces heart attacks? Now studies show that taking 30 minute naps in the afternoons can help reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack. Working men seemed to benefit the most from the down time. The main reasoning in the study is that naps helped reduce stress and lowering stress helps reduce the likelihood of heart attacks.

In the largest study to date, Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos of Harvard University and the University of Athens Medical School, released facts on the health effects of napping. Researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped at least three times a week for about 30 minutes had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap. The researchers in this study factored in diet, exercise, smoking and other habits that affect the heart but still found napping seemed to help. It is speculated that the health advantages probably would extend to women as well.

Wouldn't it be great if companies in this culture would follow suit from the siestas in many other cultures? I can see an increase in the sales of reclining office chairs as I write.