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Working Out Your Stress

Posted By: John Holihan on 01/12/2012

Throughout the year, we all experience things which make us feel as though crawling under the covers is our best and only option.  While it may not be clinical, a certain amount of depression can set in at any time for almost any reason.

The change in seasons and weather can often have us down in the dumps with the blues.  A Job change, financial problems, and social changes are all highly common reasons for at least small amounts of why we go through periods of feeling down and out.

Obviously exercise is certainly beneficial for our physical health, but what many don’t realize is how much working out and occupying your attention and committing to fitness can help sooth your mind and allow you to get through those down moments.

This doesn’t mean you have to commit to working out for 90 minutes a day five times a week.  In fact, keeping it simple to begin and allowing yourself to work your way into some physical activity a few times a week is a perfect way to start.

Once you get yourself to the point of being ready to implement fitness into your daily routine in order to help ease your mind and body, finding a partner or a trainer to keep you focused and mentally into your workouts is a great way to improve your physical and mental health.

Working out, even with a trainer, is a great way to hone in and focus on you and you alone.  We all need our time to do the things which we enjoy on a personal level, as well as use that time to be more in touch with ourselves and what makes us happy, regardless of how events--particularly the negative ones--affect us.

So aside from the physical need of exercise and fitness, keep in mind that your mental health is just as important and in most cases, stress and anxiety has a significant impact on your physical well-being requiring all of us to take our minds off the daily grind and allow for our minds to focus on us in order to make sure we are as happy mentally as we are physically.

Tips to get started when you are feeling down:

*Take 5-10 minutes to do a slow stretch

*While getting ready for your session with your trainer, get your body moving by taking care of some small things around the house.  Pick up your bedroom or living room; wipe down the kitchen…anything to get your body up and moving.

*Take some time before your workout and before you meet with your trainer to get your mind focused.  Use a form of meditation to clear your thoughts, understand what you need to do, mentally, to get into your workout and stay focused.

*Partner up and head to your workouts with a friend.  If you don’t have a trainer, get one and let someone help you reach your goals and achieve that much needed stress relief. Let your trainer worry about the exercises and structure while you focus on completing the workout and taking advantage of the physical and mental benefits of it.