Boxing is like therapy with the gloves on

Same goes for 29-year-old Ezinwanne Hawkins, program director for Elizabeth House, a transitional housing program for teen-age moms: "I didn't think boxing was something I'd enjoy, but you hit that bag and you're really releasing everything."

These days, there's plenty to want to jettison — worries about the economy, job security, terrorism, the outcomes of the election and the future of "Project Runway," for starters. But Washingtonians are managing stress better than the rest of the nation, according to a new survey by the American Psychological Association. And part of our success may be due to a reliance on physical activity: 51 percent use exercise to relieve stress, compared with 47 percent nationally.

Workout effects linger

While it's the physical benefits that usually get people started on an exercise program, it's the addiction to how it makes them feel that keeps them going, says Keith Johnsgard, an emeritus professor of psychology at San Jose State University and author of "Conquering Depression and Anxiety Through Exercise."

He's been studying this subject since the early 1970s, when he noticed the mood-elevating properties of his own workouts and started prescribing exercise as therapy to his patients.

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