Most people know that stress can be relieved or reduced by exercise training, but did you know that stress can actually derail your training, too?

Training is a physical process. The basic principal of training is to apply stress to your body in a consistent and controlled manner to elicit a desired training response. Cardiovascular and strength workouts stress the heart and muscle groups. The amount and type of stress you apply and your body's ability to process, recover and repair from that stress is what actually makes you fitter and faster.

Yet, stress comes in many forms. We all need a little stress in our lives - hence the term stress management. Some professionals are now using the term stress balance as an acknowledgement that some stress is a good thing.

There are two kinds of stress. Distress is what we commonly think of. Eustress is considered good stress. Some scientists even refer to eustress as the spice of life. Stress can also be acute or chronic. It is the chronic stress that tends to cause health problems.

Another important factor in considering how stress will affect your body is perceived control. In one study, a scientist put two rats in a cage with each of them locked in a running wheel. The first rat could exercise whenever it wanted. The second rat was yoked to the first and forced to run when the other rat ran.

In the first rat, exercise had the normal affect of tamping down stress and encouraging neuron growth. According to the researchers, the first rat's "brain bloomed with new cells." However, something strange happened to the second rat. It lost brain cells. The researcher hypothesized that while the rat was "doing something that should have been good for its brain, it lacked one crucial factor: control. It could not determine its own workout schedule so it didn't perceive it as exercise." Rather, the rat experienced its workouts as a "literal rat race."

Does this sound familiar to you? Have you ever cut your sleep short for an early morning swim session, followed by a hurried drive to work while eating a processed energy bar for breakfast? This workout is more stressful than the same workout on a more relaxed time schedule. And it may even do more harm than good.

A lot of times, you just have to listen to your body. Sometimes, a short, intense workout is just what you need to shrug off the distress caused by a disagreement with your boss. Other times, a nice long, slow workout might just help clear your mind and deal with the kids when you get home. Other days, it might be best to blow off your workout so you don't add more stress to your already overstressed body. Not adhering to this can lead to a chronic stress situation.

In addition to paying attention to your body, pay attention to your mind and stress level and then determine if your scheduled workout is going to make you better or just dig you into a deeper level of stress.

The best way to govern your workout decisions is by asking yourself, "Is this healthy?" Be clear with your specific purpose for every workout whether it is recovery and rejuvenation, fitness maintenance or fitness improvement.