Stress Reduction Workouts
Leading a sedentary lifestyle silently kills you, and it’s not only because inactivity retards your body’s ability to burn calories and makes you retreat into obesity and its world of physical and mental ailments.
Studies show that sedentary behavior, such as lying down or remaining seated for long periods of time, increases the risks of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments.
And then there’s stress. More and more scientific evidence has pointed to chronic stress as a by-product of a sedentary lifestyle.
Revealed to be not just an emotional or mental issue, chronic stress is also said to manifest physically.
Health Effects Of Stress
Chronic tension leads to both diseases and everyday physical pain, such as back pains, headaches, insomnia and upset stomach, not to mention higher levels of anxiety, insomnia and even depression.
How To Deal With Stress
But, before you reach for your comfort food or watch your favorite movie to perk you up, know that retreating into your usual comfort zone simply will not do the trick of beating stress. Worse, doing so could only reinforce your sedentary lifestyle, hence feeding your stress levels. To even start your battle with stress, you need to literally sweat it out.
The human body is not made to sit or stay still. It is designed to move and flow.
Every component of the human body lies in perpetual motion. Our muscles contract to create movement, our blood flows, our nerves constantly send signals to the brain, and our lungs continuously contract and expand.
Several components of the human body moves in order to release toxins and other harmful substances, including our sweat glands that work to expel sweat. Our body needs to break free from being sedentary in order to actualize what it was originally made for.
Exercise
Getting on a regular workout regimen is your best bet against stress and other ailments associated with it. Exercise is a great way of naturally and effectively reducing chronic tension and fatigue.
Studies also show that exercise improves concentration and alertness, abilities that are slowed down as stress depletes our energy and cognitive functions.
• When we work out, our body releases the “happy hormone” endorphin, which promotes a feeling of wellbeing.
• Exercise also promotes the neurohormone norepinephrine, which is known to elevate mood levels.
• Sweating it out also enhances our physiological systems to communicate closely with one another and heighten the body’s overall stress response.
• The human body’s mega-stress busting ability is stimulated as early as five minutes into an aerobic workout.
Best Workouts To Deal With Stress
Not all workouts are created equal, however, especially if we go by the objective of dealing with stress. You need to do the right type of workout, particularly one that encourages the body and the mind to work together. Here are three of the best workout options to effectively beat stress:
Yoga – Who said the journey to Zen is done on a lousy road? Yoga is often associated with meditation and finding peace but it nonetheless requires strenuous physical exertion. Doing yoga poses strengthens the body’s muscles and to make it more flexible and resilient, hence relieving physical tension.
Yoga also requires deep breathing, which triggers the body’s ability to relax. Because it encourages the flow of energy throughout the body, yoga has also been found to reduce blood pressure and other chronic pains and nerve blockages. And how about the ability to meditate which yoga develops? Don’t underestimate its power to make you focus, which is essential in managing stress.
Walking – This no-frills and relatively easy physical activity reduces the risks of ailments related to stress like cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Walking raises the body’s ability to release tension lodged deep within the muscles, promotes deep breathing and soothes the nervous system.
It is also an effective way to relax as it allows us to spend time with nature and our environment while also having some time alone to think and get into a meditative state. Doing short 15 to 30-minute walks is also a great way to get you started on a workout regimen because it requires no additional costs and specialized paraphernalia, plus you can easily squeeze it into your daily routine.
Swimming – Combining the calming effect of being surrounded by water and the health benefits of exercise, swimming is an ideal workout for those who are not so keen on feeling sweaty and sticky.
Swimming is a great aerobic exercise that enables you to move every muscle in your body while developing your ability to breathe deeply. When the weather is hot, swimming also cools your body down, which immediately relaxes both your mind and body.
Bottom Line
There are other forms of workout that you can explore to develop and strengthen your body’s ability to combat stress.
The key is to finding the right type of workout that suits your interests and the level of physical exertion that your body can handle. Whichever type of workout you choose, stick to it and never look back to your sedentary and stressed out lifestyle.
