Sitting around at the office all day can't be that relaxing for most. And after a long day at work, not many people have the energy or motivation to want to get up off their bum and get some exercise. A run, a short work out session in the gym, futsal, tennis or even a swim are great ways to keep in shape and at the same time burn some stress out of your mind and body.
Exercise Releases Endorphins
Endorphins are natural pain killers and also help lift your mood. They are basically a natural way of getting yourself high, much like a sugar high might improve your mood, except with exercise, there's no down after the high, it just slowly fades away back to normalcy.
People who are in depression often lack these neurochemicals and hence are stressed and sad all the time. High amounts of exercise could slowly pump back these neurochemicals back into their brain and pull them out of the hole of depression that they are in.
Exercise Is An Outlet For The Mind
Let's face it, running on the treadmill or swimming in the pool can get a little tedious and repetitive. It's at times like these that you can use exercise as an outlet for mental soothing and repair. The best way to demonstrate this is through an example. Imagine you are running on the treadmill and just staring out straight. Rather than focus on the task at hand and trying to ignore the building burning sensation in your legs, why not try a few mental exercises?
For those 15 minutes, try and imagine your frustrations and stress burning away out of your body through your arms and legs. Or try reinforcing your metal state by thinking of very positive thoughts, such as how successful you will be in the future or how happy you are with your family and friends. It'll do you a world of good.
Exercise Is The Best Vice
When people are feeling stressed of frustrated with a situation, it is too easy to reach for a vice to calm yourself. These include alcohol, smoking, gambling and excessive eating which are all bad for you in the long run and may double up on your stress levels in the future.
Exercise is something that you can and should use as a vice when times are bad. Feeling the pressure at work and your boss? After work, try and put in a 15 - 20 minute medium intensity work out. It won't prevent your boss from shouting at you the next day, but at least it'll keep your mood up for whatever is left of the current day.
Thinking of exercise as a way to keep your mind and body healthy is the best approach to it, instead of thinking of it as a chore. Exercise has been proven to increase life expectancy, reduce heart problems and cancer as well as a great way to keep your mind in a positive mood.
So get up, do a sit up, a push up, a pull up, anything. And get on the road to reducing stress and improving your life today.
