Managing Stress
Physical Activity
Physical activity is great for your health. According to the American Heart association, 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity is recommended. 150 minutes a week can help change your life, it has shown to help reduce blood pressure and improve blood flow.
Physical Activity can also help maintain strong bones and prevent osteoporosis.
With a busy life, 150 minutes may sound tough. However, this goal can be found even just by reducing the amount of time spent sitting in a chair. Other ways to help increase physical activity could be taking walks or finding activities that you find enjoyable.
Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity can have extremely positive effects on reducing stress.
Cardio Training
"improving cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI by increasing vigorous physical activity may be beneficial to both mental well-being and quality of life in adolescents" (Eddolls, 2018).
Resistance Training
"Contracting skeletal muscles may be capable of releasing protective factors into the circulatory system during exercise. This may then mediate metabolic and physiological responses in other organs, such as the adipose tissue, liver, the cardiovascular system, and the brain" (Maestroni et al., 2020)
Enjoyable Activities
Having enjoyable physical activities is an essential path towards building a healthier lifestyle and maintaining consistency. Whether that be your favorite sport or even just walking your favorite pet, physical activity is important for your health and mindstate.
"The good news is that even small amounts of physical activity can immediately reduce symptoms of anxiety in adults and older adults. Depression has also shown to be responsive to physical activity." (Reed, 2021)
