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Posts Tagged ‘walking’

Truth be told, I’m stressed right now. I shouldn’t be though. But somewhere between my work life and personal life, I’m feeling it. I think I know what it is, but I’m trying to write it off to being all weather related :o) Often times we find ourselves anxious, stressed and just down right blech!! Don’t we? It can have to do with anything from bills, work, our significant other, the kids, the car, our family or friends or the freakin’ computer going down! Well, there is a very good remedy for that and you know what it is….yes, come on…say it!!! EXERCISE! dun-DuN-DUN!!!

Instead, lets say that stress can be reduced by being active. There are other things of course that can reduce it in our lives, but I want to focus on a-c-t-v-i-t-y.

If you didn’t know, there are different kinds of stress, but all of them can be managed with a healthy diet and a good dose of physical activity each day. I’m not saying you have to break a sweat for 60 minutes to ease off the tension. Even a 10-15 minute brisk walk can alleviate the nerves. It is important to try to pinpoint the source of your stress so that you can learn to manage it and control the situation. It may not always be easy to pinpoint where it’s coming from, but at least try to find it.

Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Pent-up stress is pretty easily remedied through aerobic exercise. Annoyances or frustrating situations can sometimes build up and you can feel stressed or even experience a low level of anger even! If you’re feeling motivated enough, a higher energy form of exercise can help release some of those emotions. Kickboxing, boxing, weight training, crossfit or going for a LONG NEEDED RUN when you didn’t think you needed to go so long, can all help reduce stress.

If you don’t believe me, read on:

The American Council on Exercise reminds Americans that one of the most effective methods of stress relief is exercise. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Association endorses exercise as a way to reduce stress, and recommends cardiovascular exercise that elevates the heart rate for 15 to 30 minutes – three to four times per week.

I told you so. When you are less stressed, you tend to have a more positive outlook on life you know! There is no “magic exercise” that you can do to reduce your stress. Actually, different activities can help with different kinds of stress. The important thing is to do something that you enjoy. One of my most favorite activities now is to take the dogs to the lake and walk. It usually takes almost two hours out there, but it always seems like half the time. It’s a perk if you enjoy the company you’re with too!
One of the things that can happen is that you feel so stressed, that you don’t want to do anything…it kind of ends up as a vicious cycle. The more you stay sedentary, the more stressed out you can get! They say that yoga is an excellent way to relieve stress. Only from research can I say that this has been proven to be true. (Remember, doing yoga is one of my resolutions for this year). Breathing exercises, aromatherapy, and meditation all contribute to sanity as well.

So go for a walk, jog, leisure bike ride….take the dog out, play with the kids, stretch, punch a bag…do jumping jacks, do JUMPROPE (10 calories for every minute!!), clean the house or work in the garden. There are so many different things you can do. Finally, if you think you need just a little bit of help to relax more, ask your favorite pair of hands for a nice massage, fingers through your hair, or gentles touches on your back.  Then there’s always a nice glass of vino that you can have at the end of your long day with or after a  yummy shrimp pasta dish! (Man I’m getting hungry)…

Now you know what you can do to wash away that stress...