Reduce Stress Through Exercise

Exercise is an effective strategy for reducing stress. In addition to helping you lose weight and feel physically stronger and healthier, exercise benefits your mental and emotional well being. If you’re ready to start fighting stress through exercise, focus on easing into your routine and not burning out too quickly. Do enjoyable exercises and aim to make it a social activity.

Choosing Stress-Relieving Activities

 * 1) Choose physical activities that you enjoy. It’s important you enjoy the activities you choose to do for exercise. Increased enjoyment will reduce your stress and take your mind off of life's challenges. Don’t just go to the gym if you don’t enjoy that type of workout. Instead, choose something that appeals to you or you want to learn. This might include swimming, jogging, tai chi, yoga, or cycling. [[Image:Develop Your Chi Step 5 Version 2.jpg|center]]
 * 2) *Playing a favorite sport or taking a dance class with enjoyable music will increase your sense of relaxation.
 * 3) *Try something new: go rock climbing, do martial arts, or try aerial silks.
 * 4) Get active outside. If the weather permits, do your exercises outside. Take a walk, go cycling or mountain biking, start gardening, or try horseback riding. If possible, spend time near a lake, river, or stream as water has beneficial effects. Doing activities outside can help improve your mood and your self-esteem. [[Image:Get Skinny Legs Quick Step 10 Version 3.jpg|center]]
 * 5) *Go running or biking on the beach. You can also take a hike to a lake or river.
 * 6) Perform aerobic exercise. Regular aerobic exercise can help reduce tension, stabilize your mood, and improve sleep. While 30 minutes or more of exercise is best, even five minutes of aerobic exercise can help you cope with feelings of anxiety. [[Image:Do-Aerobics-Step-17.jpg|center]]
 * 7) *Aim to get 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise three to five days each week.
 * 8) *Try walking, jogging, swimming, skiing, climbing stairs, hiking, and dancing.
 * 9) *Switch up activities to help keep it interesting and enjoyable.
 * 10) Practice yoga poses. You don’t need to attend a yoga class to get quick benefits of yoga. If you’re feeling stressed, try a couple poses to reduce tension and feel calm. These poses can be done outside, in your home, or in an office. [[Image:Do Gentle Yoga Step 2.jpg|center]]
 * 11) * For example, try the cat cow pose, forward bends, and child pose. Try them one after another for best results, and put together a routine to help you de-stress.
 * 12) Try low impact activities. If lifting weights at the gym seems like too much effort, find activities that help you relieve stress that don’t require lots of energy. For example, do restorative yoga, tai chi, or focus on low-impact activities like water aerobics. [[Image:Swim-Step-3-Version-5.jpg|center]]
 * 13) *Find low impact exercises, especially if you have limited mobility. You can also go bike riding, walk, or swim.

Making the Most of Exercise

 * 1) Exercise with a buddy. Find a workout partner to exercise with. This can help you stay committed to exercising and increase your motivation. It can also help you reach your goals with a little bit of friendly competition alongside giving you some company. Meeting with someone regularly can help build your friendship and increase social connection, which can reduce stress. [[Image:Do-Aerobics-Step-25.jpg|center]]
 * 2) *Exercising with a buddy can also help you stick with it. Knowing someone is waiting for you at the gym or meeting you on the trails is a powerful incentive not to give up or go home.
 * 3) Turn to exercise after a tough day. While you may have looked forward to ending a tough day with a big meal, a glass of wine, television shows, or video games, turn toward exercise first. Exercise can actively help you handle your stress and feel better instead of distracting yourself or masking your stress. Exercise is a healthier way of coping with stress that also helps your body and mind feel better. [[Image:Distract-Yourself-from-Hunger-Step-6-Version-2.jpg|center]]
 * 4) *If you’re exhausted after a difficult day, go for a quick walk or jog when you get home. Finish your exercise before deciding whether or not you want to have that glass of wine.
 * 5) Maximize your break times. Find small pockets of time to exercise. If you are approaching an especially stressful week, allow 20 to 30 minutes in the middle of the day for exercise. This is useful if you can’t find time outside of work or school to exercise. Use the time to walk, run up and down stairs or stretch. [[Image:Achieve-Short-Term-Goals-Step-3-Version-2.jpg|center]]
 * 6) *For example, take a quick lunch at school or work and spend the rest of the time on a walk. If your school or workplace has a gym, spend a few days a week at the gym during your lunchtime.
 * 7) Avoid stressing out about exercise. Exercise is supposed to help you relax - not the other way around. If you find that you're getting stressed out thinking about how to fit exercise into your busy life, or overly worried about an upcoming exercise set you have to do, take a step back. Keep an exercise routine with some flexibility - you might not be able to run 5 miles every day, and that's okay. As long as you're moving around some amount every day, that should be enough to help you de-stress at least a bit. [[Image:Accelerate-Muscle-Growth-Step-4-Version-2.jpg|center]]

Exercising Safely and Effectively

 * 1) Consult with your physician. Especially if you live a high-stress lifestyle or haven’t been active recently, it’s best to consult with your physician about your health prior to starting a new exercise plan. They can run some tests to check how stress is affecting your body and assess what a good starting point may be when beginning a new exercise plan. [[Image:Accelerate-Muscle-Growth-Step-18.jpg|center]]
 * 2) *Tell your physician your plans for exercise and heed the advice they give you about starting something new.
 * 3) Ease into a new exercise program. If you have not been exercising for some time, reduce your stress levels by easing into a new exercise program. Build up your strength and fitness level gradually. You don't want to jump into a strenuous exercise regimen only to injure yourself, become overly sore and increase your stress. If you start too hard, you may burn out or feel like exercise is too difficult. [[Image:Hike in Autumn Step 9.jpg|center]]
 * 4) * Start with simple activities. Walk, ride a bike, hike a trail or take a beginning dance class to ease into a new exercise program.
 * 5) *Too much intense exercise at first can increase your chances of injury.
 * 6) Aim to exercise regularly. While exercising once in a while has benefits, it’s best to exercise consistently. Regular exercise can help you increase your confidence, decrease anxiety and depression, and improve sleep.  If you struggle to make exercise a regular part of your life, try sticking to a schedule. [[Image:Achieve-Short-Term-Goals-Step-4-Version-2.jpg|center]]
 * 7) *When planning your day, don’t forget to include time for exercise. For example, find some time before or after you go to work or school to devote to exercise.
 * 8) *Bring your exercise clothes with you in the car so there’s never an excuse to skip going to the gym or out on a hike.
 * 9) *Try exercising at different times of day and for different lengths of time. You might find that a certain time or length works best for you.

Tips

 * Find some time for relaxation during your day outside of exercise. You may want to devote 10-15 minutes after your workout to do something relaxing. Spending some time focused on specific relaxation exercises can help put your body and mind into a calm and relaxed state. Do some stretching, meditate, or listen to calming music.

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