How exercising can reduce your stress levels
Stress is the human body’s way of responding to the imbalance between everyday demands made on us and our resources available to cope with such demands. The extent to which someone is affected by stress depends greatly on their attitude towards a given situation. Often, the more important the outcome of the situation, the more stressed you feel. Many common activities may make a person feel stressed, from worrying about a test in school to feeling under pressure at work.
Stress can cause discomfort and distress, leading to other mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. If untreated, stress can also contribute to many physical illnesses such as cardiovascular disease.
When it comes to stress management, prevention is better than cure. One thing all medical professionals can agree on is the positive effect regular exercise has on reducing stress levels. Participating in vigorous exercise (such as running) 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes, can successfully lower stress levels whilst also increasing your overall health and sense of well-being.
For people who don’t exercise regularly, the prospect of starting can seem daunting. Here are some useful tips to help you stick with a new routine, or reinvigorate an old workout:
- Set SMART goals
Before you begin, write down a set of SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-limited goals. If reducing stress is your main goal, your specific goals might include being committed to going for a brisk walk during your lunch break at work.
- Find a buddy
Having a workout partner can be a great motivational tool and incentive to make sure you show up at the gym and make the most of a workout.
- Change things up
If you’re constantly doing the same old thing, the idea of working out may begin to seem monotonous or boring. A way to help this is to change the type of exercise you do. Try mixing up a normal gym session by attending a Pilates or yoga class, or swimming laps in a pool.
- Workout in increments
Sometimes amongst our busy life schedules, we simply don’t have time to fit in a 30-minute walk in between work and family commitments. If this is the case, try three 10-minute walks instead. Brief bouts of activity still offer health benefits, and the most important thing is just trying to make regular physical activity part of your lifestyle.
- Pencil it in
Actually going through your diary and allocating specific times to allow for exercise can help you feel more organised and better able to stick to plans.