Stress is the modern constant showing up in inboxes, sleep cycles and the daily mental load most people carry without naming it. The famous faces who navigate the public eye say they have found one reliable release valve. From Khloé Kardashian to Michelle Obama, a long list of stars credit exercise with steadying their minds when life gets loud.
The theme, in their own words: a workout is not just about the body.
How Exercise Eases Stress, According to Experts
The link between movement and mental health is more than anecdotal. Dr. Hazel Wallace, author, nutritionist and founder of The Food Medic, told Health & Wellbeing that working out reshapes the brain itself.
“I’m passionate about exercise for reasons beyond aesthetics and weight loss. Exercise can not only transform your physical health and reduce your risk of multiple diseases, such as heart disease and certain forms of cancer, but it can also improve your mental health,” Wallace said. “Every time you exercise, you’re training your brain to be happier, smarter, healthier and more resilient to stress.”
Those Abs! Khloe Kardashian Breaks Down Her Workout Routine Step-by-Step
Arnold Schwarzenegger once put it more bluntly: “Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.”
What Celebrities Say About Working Out to Relieve Stress
Kardashian has been one of the most vocal advocates for fitness as a mental reset.
“For me, working out is a huge part of my life and it clears my head,” she told People in March 2021. “It makes me feel strong and accomplished. That little bit of self-care is what I need.”
Kardashian coninued, “It’s a stress reliever. I get anxiety sometimes. It takes all of that away,” she says. “A by-product of [working out] is you look good. But my main focus isn’t about, ‘Oh, I need to lose 5 lbs.’ I don’t care about the scale. I feel energized and I’m ready to chase my daughter [True] around for the day. It gives you that little oomph that I need.”
She went further about her fitness journey with Marie Claire in December 2015: “I promise you, the gym has taken away so much of my stress. It has helped calm me down. When I’m fidgety and I just feel like everything is closing in, I go to the gym. You’re building endorphins and feeling good about yourself. It’s saved me.”
Kelly Ripa once described exercise to Good Housekeeping as her catch-all remedy. “If I’ve had a bad day, if I’m feeling stressed out, if I’m feeling overwhelmed — it takes it all away. It’s my antidote for everything.”
Gabrielle Union prefers something with a little more punch. “I like kickboxing because I can work out some aggression without judgment,” she told Elle in November 2014. “A good boxing workout is the best stress, anxiety and rage reliever there is.”
Why Fitness Becomes a Mental Health Tool, Not Just a Physical One
For Kumail Nanjiani, who transformed his body over 14 months for Marvel’s Eternals, the routine outlasted the role. “Now, I feel antsy if I’m not going to the gym, it just really sort of grounds me and it’s great for stress relief,” he told HollywoodLife in November 2022.
His wife, writer and producer Emily V. Gordon, started lifting weights during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Working out is really great for anxiety,” she said, adding that she had been “babying” her body before discovering how much it could handle.
Gisele Bündchen offered a broader framework in a December 2023 Instagram post. “Managing stress is part of life and while we can’t always control our circumstances, we can choose how we respond to them,” she wrote, urging followers to find a physical activity they enjoy — “dance, yoga, run, play a sport.”
TV presenter Katie Piper told Health & Wellbeing in July 2019 that exercise is “just as much about my mental health and wellbeing as it is about keeping fit,” even if it is just running around the park with her kids.
Obama summed up the matter, per Vogue: “Exercise is really important to me — it’s therapeutic. So if I’m ever feeling tense or stressed or like I’m about to have a meltdown, I’ll put on my iPod and head to the gym.”
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