Great exercises to improve wellbeing and cut down on stress
By now you probably know that stress isn’t great for your health. Too much stress can affect both your physical and mental health, impacting you on a day to day basis and in the long-term.
While some stress is unavoidable, there are plenty of ways you can reduce how much of an effect it has you. Our previous blog looked at a variety of ways to cut down on stress and generally improve your overall wellbeing, with one of these methods being exercise.
Exercising regularly helps you to work out physical tension from your body, boosts the production of hormones associated with happiness and relaxation and also provides you with time to work through any problems that are leaving you feeling stressed.
This is why it pays to add some form of exercise into your daily routine, switching up what you try to find a mixture that works for you, improves your health and allows you to achieve your goals. With this in mind, here are some exercises that are fantastic for busting stress and leaving you feeling more content:
Yoga
This is probably the most obvious exercise type you think of when it comes to cutting down on stress. Its mix of meditation and exercise is fantastic for improving your awareness of your body, stretching your muscles and clearing your mind, allowing you to enjoy a period of calm.
The focus on your body and your movements allows you to better tell where you carry your stress so you can relieve the physical symptoms of it, while getting some time away from everything causing tension can be really important. On top of this, regular yoga will help to tone your muscles and improve flexibility.
Zumba
You might not think that fast-paced Zumba is the best exercise for helping you relax, but it is actually incredibly effective at helping you feel less stressed. One of the main reasons for this is that you need to concentrate on the moves you’re doing, which forces you to pay attention and stops you from focusing on things that are causing stress.
On top of this, you’ll burn a lot of calories and give your body a really good workout, releasing plenty of endorphins, improving sleep and generally just leaving you feeling great. Doing Zumba regularly can have big bonuses when it comes to reaching your health and fitness goals, as well as improving stress levels and general wellbeing.
Running
Sometimes there’s nothing better than going for a run and getting your heart rate up. Put on your headphones and hit the pavement to enjoy some time on your own and work out all that physical tension. Whether you run fast, jog or just powerwalk, pushing yourself to go faster and further can help improve your wellbeing and leave you better able to deal with everyday stress.
Starting or ending your day with a run is a great way to sort through thoughts as well as improve physical fitness and could be the ideal way for you to deal with stress.
Swimming
Not only does swimming allow you to focus on your laps and breathing, being in the water is great for helping to relieve physical tension, which can have a drastic effect on your mental state. Whether you swim fast or slow, the low-impact nature of swimming means it is an effective workout that won’t leave you aching, while everything about the water tends to be relaxing.
You might also want to try other aqua-based exercises, such as aerobics or Zumba, which combine an effective workout with the benefits of being in the water.
Kickboxing
If you want an exercise that will make you feel good and get rid of stress, kickboxing could be the perfect option. This workout is all about control and power, helping you to get a powerful and effective workout that is a lot of fun and will mean you need to think about something other than the cause of your stress.
As well as being a rigorous form of exercise that helps improve flexibility, tone, coordination and balance, having fun is a great way to encourage you to stick with your workout. On top of that, getting to punch and kick things will help you act out your anger and beat stress.
Any exercise with friends
Whether you play football, tennis or rugby, playing team sports is a good way to reduce stress and improve wellbeing. Not only do you get a good workout, you’re also able to enjoy the social aspect, which can be a great outlet for tension as you can talk about what is making you feel stressed.
Team sports or exercise done with another person also means you push yourself harder, with the competitive aspect helping you to reach your goals faster. On top of this, your workout buddy also provides great support, which is important if you aren’t having the best day.
