Work Out And Stress: How To Use One To Beat The Other

Stress definitely became the illness of the 21st century,  as there is an increasing number of people suffering from it.  Contemporary living and working conditions drive people into a perpetual stressed state,  which results in numerous health issues. Trying to combat stress, many people indulge in unhealthy behavior, making their health issues even worse. The worst thing about stress lies in the fact that stress isn’t just a mental or emotional problem, but it can also reflect on physical health. Chronic tension, which is one of the stress symptoms, can cause many long-term health conditions. Ironically, trying to get rest from the stress will cause the opposite effects, as stress won’t give us the rest we need.

Stress and Activity

The best way to deal with stress is to get active. Physical activity is proven as the best technique to reduce stress. Stress makes our body react as it is in physical danger, raising the pressure and making us ready for fight or run. However, all that pent up energy usually has nowhere to go, and it accumulates in our body for hours, instead of being discharged in a matter of seconds.

The programming of our organism isn’t made to endure those extended periods of high alert, and that’s why we need to sweat our stress away. That only the exercise will improve your health and reduce the effects of stress, it’ll also relax tension in your muscles and help you rest. Exercise also helps your organism release endorphins, so it’s a good way to deal with depression and anxiety too.

Oriental Exercises

Thanks to the major influx of Asian culture in western society, we found out about great exercises people from the Far East practiced in order to stay fit and healthy. Their focus on Zen state, which is total calmness, made some of the most efficient stress-reducing workouts. 

Let’s start with Yoga. Yoga is a discipline contained a series of postures that improve strength, resilience, and flexibility and relieve physical tension as a result. A very important aspect of yoga is breathing training, which triggers relaxation impulse. The biggest benefit of yoga is the mental focus required to perform the poses correctly. Yoga is open for all ages and physical forms.

 Tai Chi is a form of exercise originated from Chinese martial arts. The main trait of Tai Chi is connecting movement and breathing. That’s why it’s often called “meditation in motion”. Tai Chi makes the practitioner focus on the present, so everyday worries are getting pushed out of the mental image. Tai chi practice will also improve your balance and cardiovascular system. Qigong became famous thanks to the Shaolin monks. Basically, it’s exercise focused on controlling the energy flow in your body. Similar to Tai Chi, it includes briefing exercise and harmonic movements.

Circuit Training

Circuit training combines weight training with cardio with a short pause in between. This short, high-intensity workout offers the same benefits as a long training exercise session. Thanks to its short duration you can fit it effortlessly in your daily routine. You don’t even need to leave your home if you have a weight rack for the home gym. This short and sweet exercise will boost your energy level and greatly enhance your attitude. 

Walking

Walking is by far the easiest exercise because it doesn’t require any classes or special equipment. Nevertheless, it’s very efficient. Regular walking reduces the effects of stress-related conditions, among them cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Additionally, regular walkers boast lower stress levels and more self-confidence. The main benefits of walking are relief of muscular tension, deepening of breath, and calmness of the nervous system. It also connects us with nature, is which is good by itself.

Dancing

There’s a lot of physical, mental and even emotional benefits from dancing. Dancing also improves your coordination and dexterity, as well as improves your heart rate. Learning new steps requires some memorization skills, so it’s beneficial to your brain health too. Another important aspect of dancing is that it connects people in one community and heightens encouragement. You don’t even need a partner to begin dancing, all you need is a good pair of shoes and an open mind. 

Conclusion

Stress is a hypertension state of the organism, caused by outer stimulation, which puts us in a tense state. Unfortunately, our body and mind cannot endure prolonged periods of stress, and as a result, there are many health issues caused by unhandled or badly handled stress effects. Scientifically, the best way to combat stress is a physical activity in which you will spend all that piled up energy and aggressiveness. The best thing is that for most of those activities all you need is goodwill and a good pair of shoes.