How You Can Beat Stress And Anxiety With Exercise

Everywhere we look there are magazine covers telling us to lose weight because we ‘have to’ be thin. Healthy weight is good, but we should eat right and exercise because of other things, not just to look better. For example, exercise is a great way to deal with stress and anxiety. This is how.

How Exercise Help With Stress And Anxiety

Exercise as an Antidepressant

Sometimes it is just about the winter blues and other times it is chronic depression, either way – they make life feel harder than it is. Often times we turn to antidepressants to pull us out of the slump, but we don’t have to do that anymore.

Some studies showed people who did aerobic exercise when depressed showed same improvement in their symptoms like those on medications. Also, the effects of exercise lasted longer than those from medications. So, when you’re feeling down, give it a try with some exercise. You will soon feel so much better.

It Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Life tends to throw a lot of curveballs at us. We stress about career, relationships, our children, the end of our favorite show and we automatically reach for that box of ice cream. However, rather than going for the comfort food, science indicates that exercise is one of the fastest ways to clear out that stress hormone, cortisol. In fact, the comfort food does very little in making a dent in stress levels.

It Improves Self-Esteem

We don’t always like what we see in the mirror and are quick to point out flaws that others don’t even see. It doesn’t take a genius to know that exercise makes us look better on the outside but what about the inside? Some scientific researches pointed out that people who exercise are often more self-confident with a lower incidence of negative thoughts about their bodies.

It Helps You Get a Good Sleep

Having a restless sleep not only adds to the stress of the day but it doesn’t make you feel great either. Sleep is important because it helps your body recover and repair damage. It renews your energy and it clears your mind. Exercise is like an all-natural Ambien. People who exercise regularly have a greater quality of sleep with a lower incidence of insomnia. For those who did suffer from insomnia, consistent daily exercise significantly reduced their sleepless nights.

It’s easy to focus on getting those rock hard abs and perfect thighs that are probably unattainable. Getting on the scale doesn’t help either when you hardly see movement in the numbers. Instead of getting caught up in comparisons with pictures that are no doubt photoshopped, or those numbers on the scale, lace up your shoes and get some exercise. Not only does it strengthen us physically but mentally as well.