Are you stress by fitness?
When we find ourselves questioning the reasons for doing exercise and dragging ourselves to the gym to complete a workout routine, we need to consider if this is adding more stress to our lives.
If you are NOT taking working out as a journey to self-discovery and learning experience, then stress is becoming a burden on your way to getting in shape. In simple words, you’re getting stress by fitness.
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Why is exercise important to avoid stress?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggest that “All Americans should engage in regular physical activity to improve overall health and fitness and to prevent negative health outcomes.“
We are well aware of the benefits of having a workout routine, whether you do it in the morning before work, or after getting out of the office. Considering all that, It’s time to learn to avoid stress in your fitness journey.
The boost of endorphins after doing exercises can change your mood. It releases pressure from a hectic day at work, keeps you energized during the day, and also help you get the body you want. Here we’ll share some of the best exercise to release endorphins.
A workout routine is one of the best ways to avoid stress. Many of us do exercise as a result of a visit to the doctor, where we found out we need to do more cardio, which is a valid reason. Some people do it because a friend of ours needs a gym partner in their fitness journey.
Another probable reason is that you might feel the need for fulfilling the expectation of the people around you or guilt after seen the pictures on social media of these perfect toned bodies.
A different strategy to your workout routine
You need to hear what your body has to tell you. If you are gaining weight despite the hours in the gym, feeling tired instead of energized, having problems to sleep, or experiencing low sex drive. Such cues might be the way of your body, saying look for a different strategy.
Some people also feel annoyed when they have to follow a diet or to do another workout routine, the same as when someone asks them about their progress. If are experiencing all these then, it is only natural to wondered if are you working out for the right reasons?
Start a fitness journey
Take the lead and set up your fitness journey, intensity, and goals to follow up on your progress. You can look for help if you don’t know where to start.
By the way, If you are trying to please people around, you should know that their expectations are moving targets, they are always going to change. As an effect, we might not be able to fulfill any of them.
A healthy body is not only built of muscle and low fat. There should be an equilibrium among your body, mind, and spirit. You additionally need a decent diet and a fair amount of sleep time to recharge.
Take care of yourself
How do you know if you are over-training? People often push too hard to the point of hurting their fitness progress. Over-training can lead to irritability, mental breakdown, depression, and burnout.
These come as results of the pressure we feel, either from our family, friends, or ourselves, when we don’t look like those bodies in the ads or pictures in social media.
It is easy to forget that our body needs time to recover after a strenuous routine, especially if we do it with a high frequency.
Understandably, athletes push themselves harder to assure a position in a team.
The International Journal of Environmental and Science Education suggests that athletes develop a higher stress level than students that often practice sports for the sake of having good physical health.
Appreciate recovery days
Taking a moment to unwind your body and mind instead of pushing to the limit, might be the critical point to your physical and mental health.
Are you pushing harder because you feel guilty about the last indulgent with that fatty meal? You probably notice people pushing themselves to the limit with an exercise trying to overcompensate the last meal they ate, adding more to their stress level.
Your approach to workout should be a natural need of each body for movement and physical activity, instead of a commitment or duty. We rather should shift our thinking into exercises to relieve stress and anxiety.
Exercise help with stress
Exercising is often lauded as a way to help alleviate stress. You don’t have to run a marathon to see benefits, either.
According to a 2013 article in the Harvard Health Letter, even a moderate amount of exercise can help. Just 30 minutes a day of brisk walking is all it takes.
Now that the weather is getting colder it can be difficult to find the motivation to go outside and exercise. However, It has become increasingly important to find healthy activities which can help relieve stress.
Spend time in nature
Spending time in outdoor activities can have a positive impact on your health and mood. Outdoor activities are by far the best exercise for stress. Surround yourself with people who feel the same way as you about exercise, with familiar faces that genuinely support you and care about your health.
Unwind your body does not mean that we are falling into procrastination to the point of NOT having physical activity. Instead, you should pursue the balance between your body, mind, and spirit, which constitute your overall health.
You might be surprised about the things your body can do and how strong it can get if you take the time to listen to what is telling you. Make this your new goal.
Recommended Tipz
Take a look to the following tips or let us know in the comments what work for you.
1. Get enough sleep to allow your body to recover from the last routine.
You can schedule it as part of your exercise routine to make it part of your fitness program.
2. Do meditation or yoga.
Doing relaxing activities like meditation or yoga can help declutter your mind. Be mindful of your goals, and even redefine them as you go down this journey of fitness. Meditation and yoga can also help your muscles heal by reducing the levels of cortisol in the body.
3. Go out to open spaces and enjoy nature.
Try to incorporate in your routine a day where you exercise outside. Change the atmosphere by going to a place with trees, a river, or do exercise on the beach. Try sports that take place out of the gym. Sports such as fishing, hiking, cycling, or swimming can bring plenty of benefits not only for excellent physical health but also for your mental health.
4. Take a massage.
Get rid of anxiety and reduce your blood pressure by taking a regular massage. Having a regular massage will allow your muscles to release the pain, heal, and recover for better performance.
5. Alternate the intensity of the workouts.
Alternating the intensity of your workout routines during the week can help your body rest and recover. Take 1 or 2 days for intensive training and the rest of the days for more relaxed exercise.
6. Have a partner.
Teaming up while exercising will help distract your mind from just completing a routine and make you enjoy the exercise. You can have a friend, a family member, or join a group that shares a similar interest in training and outdoor activities.
1. Refrain from making long sprints.
This will affect your performance in the long run and make you feel more tired instead of energized.
2. Don’t over-train.
Avoid over-training and enjoy the journey to your goals instead of rushing your body. Give yourself a break from training or turn down the intensity.
3. Avoid pleasing others.
What about pleasing yourself for a change instead of the people around you.
4. Avoid repeating the same routine.
Your body gets used to the same activity to the point of using fewer and fewer calories with time. Create a method that mixes up a high and low-intensity workout with outside activities and focuses on different parts of the body for each exercise. For example, one day, you can do HIIT (High-intensity interval training) routine, the following day a walk, then shoulders exercises, and after that, some yoga or Pilates, and so on.
5. Do not forget to stretch.
Stretching is an effective way of keeping your muscles healthy and flexible, to avoid joint injuries and over-training. Stretching and yoga combine are excellent stress release activities.
6. Do not forget to keep yourself hydrated.
The importance of being hydrated cannot be stretch out enough and not only during exercise. Drinking water regularly will help you regulate your body temperature and provide nutrients to joints and muscles. It’s recommended that you drink water before, during, and after a workout routine. Furthermore, not necessarily needs to be water; there are sports drinks specialized in restoring what we lose during exercise.
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