Stress and anxiety are a normal part of life, but too much stress can negatively affect the mind and body especially if we don’t feel able to regulate ourselves back down to normal manageable levels every once in a while. So as our stress levels start to spike, life gets very fraught and hard to deal with.
Being able to self-manage your day to day stress levels in a more natural way, is not only good for your mental and physical health in the moment, it creates much longer term health benefits for our emotional wellbeing and can actually positively affect the health and wellbeing of those around you.
It has long been established that exercise has beneficial effects on stress and anxiety and is considered vital for maintaining mental fitness. Studies show that it is very effective at reducing levels of fatigue, improving alertness and concentration, and generally enhances our cognitive function. Regular physical activity is also proven to help prevent and manage diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, healthy body weight maintenance and can improve quality of life and well-being.1.
When we experience stress in our lives it affects both our mind and our body. When we are feeling energy depleted it seems counterintuitive to exercise but it does chemically boost our system by producing endorphins These are the chemicals in our brain that act as natural painkillers as well as improving sleep and reducing stress levels. These endorphins are chemical messengers and are what you experience as a kind of euphoria when exercising. Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin are activated through physical activity and play an important role in mood regulation.
It has been found that even small amounts of low-level regular exercise can decrease overall levels of tension, help us to better manage our moods and emotions and increase our ability to self-manage our mind in a very positive way. with as little as five minutes of aerobic exercise we can begin to stimulate effects in the body that reduce anxiety. For example, interspersing periods of small exercise activities throughout the day can significantly increase your mood and general wellbeing.
My 5 mindset nudges to increase your wellbeing through exercise:
Your goal here remember was to do some form of exercise every day. Using your body energetically in any way that isn’t sitting around keeping still is what counts and is how you get started. The time it takes to sit and wait for a boil a kettle, you could have been doing something active.
So get started with this 5 point check list.
If you need more motivation and support, drop me a line [email protected]
Be Well to Do Well
Caroline
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