Christine Ha battled her way to become the next Master Chef (despite being legally blind) — and she was calm, cool, and collected in that incredible pressure cooker. But most of us aren't so stress-resistant. We could use a little bit of feel-calm-and-happy magic to help us deal with our challenges.

What's the trick? Research shows moderately intense aerobic exercise builds your ability to deflect anxiety and snub stress. That makes you better able to make smart decisions (Christine's smart decision was her Thai crab salad), stick to a healthy life plan (give up fried foods and trans fats — totally), and get in more canoodling with your sweetie (ahh!).

So we bet you're wondering: "What exactly is moderate exercise? And how can I get to be so calm under pressure?"

Moderate-intensity aerobics is working hard enough to break a sweat, raise your heart rate and still talk normally. Walking two miles in 30 minutes will do the trick, but (for folks Dr. Mike sees at the Wellness Center) that's only about 3,800 steps. Sure, that's a good start, but (you know the routine) the goal is 10,000 a day. You'll need a pedometer and new walking situations (no elevators; leave the car at home for a nearby errand; walk to colleagues' offices instead of using instant messaging). Then when the boss yells, or the kids refuse to eat dinner, or your honey isn't so sweet, well, you'll just smile and think "What's the Ha way to handle this?"


© 2012 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.