The speed of life today can unfortunately lead to high levels of stress. Every day, we have to juggle the demands of our jobs, our family lives and our responsibilities. While certain levels of stress are ok, ongoing stress can have an impact on our physical and mental health.No one wants to live a stressful life which is why everyone is always looking for solutions to help manage or deal with mounting stress levels. Did you know that exercise is a great way to help relieve stress? Here’s how exercise and stress are related and some ideas for stress relief exercises.
Several studies show that the health of your physical body is related to your mental health due to a number of reasons. While the connections for everyone can vary, mental stress can bring on physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, reduced immunity and rapid breathing. But equally so, an unhealthy body can lead to confidence concerns and poor body image. This is why it’s so important to look after both sides of your health.
You’ll be glad to hear that it also works the other way around too. Taking care of your physical health through exercising can boost your energy, relieve fatigue and heighten your mood – all of which are beneficial in reducing your stress and improving your mental health.
The good news is almost any physical activity or exercise can aid in stress reduction. Even a short walk or stretching can help clear your mind and allow you to feel more relaxed.Regular aerobic exercises, too, can stimulate your endorphins to feel great while being active. For example, cardio workouts like swimming, dancing or running can simultaneously burn calories and improve your mood.
A Pilates workout is also an ideal option as it acts as a form of natural stress relief. Pilates involves a series of slow and precise exercises done either on mats or equipment (which is known as Reformer Pilates). Aside from stabilising and strengthening your muscles, Pilates offers a wide range of mental health benefits due to the way it naturally focuses your mind to control your body.
Pilates is more than just a physical exercise that improves your posture and flexibility. It can help you manage stress by providing you with the following mental and wellbeing benefits:
