Stress is said to be a silent killer, and in today’s world, one would have plenty of it. The hectic lifestyle, the constant work pressure gradually start building up stress. And, then there are demands of one’s personal life. So, what can one do? Either you live with it, or find some way out to cope up with the same. The second option seems better in every possible way, as living with stress every day is not a healthy way of living at all. Stress can not only affect one’s physical well-being, but it can be a lot more detrimental to one’s mental stability. Without a stable mind, one will not be able to work properly or make any positive choice and make the correct decisions in life.
So, what happens when you are stressed? When one is stressed, the muscles get tense, primarily in the neck area, and one usually experiences painful headaches. Stress is often the cause of heart problems. Experiencing a tightness in the chest, a pounding pulse, or muscle cramps are also common symptoms of stress. Physical discomfort like stomach aches, heartburn are also reasons for stress.
Now, you cannot live like that all your life. So, what can you do? You can choose to put all that stress away from your life by merely diverting all your thoughts onto something else like exercise. That is what is suggested by someone like Garry Y Itkin, who believes that nothing can be more beneficial than exercise to beat stress.
When you start yourself on a daily exercise routine, it helps your body to release endorphins in the brain. Endorphins help to relieve pain and stress in the body. The body and mind are linked to each other. When your body starts feeling great, so does your mind. This should, however, be a routine. You need to train your body regularly, push it beyond the limits, and make it face challenges every day. It is not going to be easy. The first few days will be painful, and you would like to give it up. But, don’t give up on yourself easily. Just follow the exercise routine every day or at least three times a week. This will help to release endorphins regularly and keep all that stress at bay.
Exercising also helps to lower your body’s stress hormones like Cortisol. The release of endorphins and the lowering of stress hormones is a great combination that helps to keep you calm and relaxed.
Not everyone is curved out for doing all kinds of exercises. You should understand your capability and endurance level to know how much you can handle. For some, swimming can be a good exercise, or for some Crossfit training might be a good option. Then there might be some who are happy with weight training and sweating it out in the gym.
If, however, you want something more relaxing, then Yoga is known to be great stress busters. There is nothing more calming than practicing Yoga. Apart from helping you to calm your mind, Yoga helps in improved blood circulation, better flexibility, and a strong core. Regular yoga classes also help those with high blood pressure and heart disease. The training or classes should be taken from reputed and trained practitioners. Yoga also helps in tackling anxiety issues and keeps you calm and composed.
You can also try your hands at cardio workouts as there is nothing more heart racing and blood pumping than that. HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Cardio is much in vogue nowadays. Exercises should be planned out as a combination of cardio and weight training. The more muscle you grow, the better will be your weight loss and improved metabolism.
When Should You Exercise?
The time you choose to carry out doing the exercises also matters. Though it is a common belief that getting started early in the morning is always good for your health, work constraints often make many to choose evening hours for working out.
Diet
Diet plays an essential role in fighting stress levels too. Food like Avocado and banana, tea, swiss chard, yogurt, fatty fish, carrots, milk, Brazilian nuts, chocolate can help deal with stress. When you are working out, it is crucial to have a balanced diet. You need to keep a check on your calorie count, too, for great results.
One needs to remember that exercise and diet go hand in hand. Be regular with your exercise routine and keep a check on what you are eating. Maintaining the balance will help you get the result that you want to achieve.
