Stress is a part of our daily lives and there are some stressful things that you can’t stop doing. You can’t possibly fire your boss who works you out or have your baby care for him/herself, and some other things that can’t just be fixed on their own. Stress will always be a part of life and you can tell that it doesn’t make you feel great but rather weighs you down and may even affect some of your activities. The interesting thing however is that you can relieve stress by engaging in some exercises. Below are some of them.
1. Walking
Walking is one of the easiest exercises to do that will cost you just your legs and a good pair of shoes. Walking, especially outdoors, is a great way to relieve stress, as it helps to improve lung capacity. Also, hormones like epinephrine and glucagon are released into your body when you walk, and this helps to release fuel into the body and also improve your mood. The environment can also play a major role in affecting your mood. You can choose somewhere that isn’t too noisy so you can take your time to gather your thoughts and emotions. Walking also gives some other benefits like strengthening the bones and muscles, helping to maintain a healthy weight and also to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
2. Yoga
Yoga is a great exercise that connects the mind with the body and helps to improve the mood. Yoga works effectively when you want to clear your mind and get your heart pumping. It has built in breathing and stretching that helps the muscles to release tension and also lower stress in the bodies. It also promotes balance and focus, so that you aren’t carried away with thoughts of whatever has gotten you stressed. Other benefits are that it improves athletic performance, maintains a balanced metabolism, prevents injury, and improves respiration, energy and vitality.
3. Breathing
Breathing is what we do everyday but many people do not think of it as an exercise. It is more about being intentional with how you breath, by allowing your stomach to expand. The expansion of the belly will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system in charge of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. There are different breathing exercises to try, and here’s a simple one to do: Inhale through your nose for about four seconds, then hold your breath for about 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. Do 3 reps. You can do this exercise when you are about going to bed and you need a restful sleep or before a meal, or even when you feel stressed. Other benefits are that it helps to improve cardiovascular capacity, stimulate the lymphatic system, detoxify the body, and also relieve pain.
You can’t push the stress away but you can definitely get it under control.
image courtesy of: yourdream.liveyourdream.org, blog.affinityhealth.org.
