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Actors have a number of old standbys to reduce stress, ranging from a stiff drink to lucky charms.
But not much work has been done on musicians, and no studies have looked at the role of aerobic exercise and fitness. After this recital, half the group walked in nearby Hyde Park for 25 minutes while the rest watched a video. The stress test was then run again. The next stage was to put the group through an eight-week aerobic training program, after which they underwent the same test. The results were promising in terms of bringing down the heart rate during performance.