In case you haven’t heard, exercise is a proven stress reliever. As the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown continues, everyone is facing new stressors, and to make matters more challenging, changes continue coming every day as new information is released. This is a high stress time in America and around the world, as children are home from school, employers have transitioned employees from offices to homes, and everyone anxiously awaits the lifting of stay at home and shelter in place orders.
Being physically active is proven to reduce stress levels, while enhancing your quality of life. Exercise works overall – physically and mentally – to deliver positive effects by relieving anxiety, reducing anger, alleviating stress, and relieving tension. Staying active and eating healthy also plays a role in boosting your immune system, confidence and improving your sleep quality, both of which stress, anxiety and depression are known to affect.
Let’s explore ways you, your family, and friends can stay active and healthy during social distancing!
How Staying Active Helps with Stress
Physical activity, including exercise, increases blood flow and enhances the body’s effective use of oxygen. With these enhancements comes a positive effect increasing endorphin production in the brain. You’ve likely heard of endorphins, more commonly referred to as “feel good” neurotransmitters, which deliver a feeling of euphoria and well-being following brisk exercise.
Also, staying active actually focuses your mind on your body, rather than your worries. The repetitive motion of exercise helps you concentrate on the movement and rhythm, with outcomes similar to meditation. This focus can increase energy immediately following a workout, as well as enhance clarity, and feelings of hope and peace. The beauty is, these mood boosts often continue, increasing as you exercise consistently.
On top of stress relief, physical activity supports your overall health and wellness. And, those improvements can regulate your levels of stress. Exercise enhances physical health in a number of ways including heart health, plus it can lower blood pressure, improve blood circulation, help you lose weight, strengthen muscles and bones, increase good cholesterol levels, and enhance your immunity.
At Northwest Women’s Fitness, we’re here to help you stay active by introducing you to our virtual personal training sale! Our workouts include private and partner sessions, Pilates, and team training sessions. Stay home, stay safe, and exercise with us! For more information on pricing, visit our website.
Just How Much Physical Activity is Needed
According to the American Heart Association, adults need 150 minutes of moderate level aerobic activity per week which equates to five 30-minute workouts. If you can’t commit to a 30-minute workout, you can break it down into three 10-minute or two 15-minute workouts each day, five days a week. For example, a 10 minute walk in the morning, followed by 10 minutes of squats in the afternoon, followed by 10 minutes of shoulder presses after dinner… Amid the aerobic activities, you should add two sessions dedicated to muscle strengthening. This means a session long enough to work out your major muscle groups – abdominals, core, back, legs, chest, shoulders, arms.
During this pandemic, stay healthy with affordable virtual workout options from our experienced trainers at NW Women’s Fitness.
Are There Specific Exercises/Nutrition Programs for Stress Reduction?
The point here is to stay active and there are lots of ways to do it. Nearly any kind of exercise is helpful in reducing stress. Some examples of moderate aerobic activities include brisk walking, biking, jogging, dancing, tennis, rowing, jumping rope, and, well, you get the idea. For muscle strengthening, you can try weight-lifting or resistance band exercises. The truth is choosing the stairs over the elevator, gardening – flowers or veggies, or playing a game of hopscotch with the kids, can give you an emotional boost, improve your health and lower your stress!
Along with exercises, you and your family can practice healthy eating habits during quarantine – trying new healthy recipes or registering for the Balanced Habits Kick Start program! The 28-Day program was/is designed for people that want to jumpstart their health & weight-loss journey or for those that just need to lose a few pounds. The Kick Start program includes:
- Guided booklet and mobile app complete with tips, tricks, and a personal log
- Meal plans, grocery lists, and recipes
- Personal coaching
- And more!
Contact NW Women’s Fitness Today!
During these challenging times, join us at NW Women’s Fitness Club for virtual classes and training of every kind and for our Balanced Habits Kick Start spring session and Life programs. For more information, please contact us today!