Stress is something that everyone goes through, we get it. There are many ways that people deal with the onslaught of stress – some develop unhealthy habits like binge eating, and others would prefer healthy alternatives like exercise (we’d want to be in this group too)!
As of anything and everything in life, there are also many different variations of exercise. Aerobic exercise has been shown to be the most effective type of exercise for stress management. This is because they tend to be moderately-intense exercises that increase your heart rate and activate the production of ‘happy hormones’ such as endorphins, serotonin and norepinephrine.
Uh, not sure what these hormones are exactly – but our friends at Ex-tension: Exercise to Release Tension has informed us that they help to strengthen the body’s immune system to get rid of stress, influence mood and behavior of the individual positively. Yay!
The recommended duration and frequency of exercise for stress management is 30 minutes per session, 5 times a week. Yikes, we know that seems like quite a lot of time to commit – but compare it to the amount of time you spend on social media and binge watching FRIENDS on Netflix! That doesn’t seem too bad now, does it?
Here are 5 ways you can motivate yourself to exercise, when stress strikes:
1. Use some fun exercise apps
Oh yeah, we know how this sounds (don’t worry, we’re not sponsored by any of them). What better way to make exercising fun, amirite? There is a huge variety of apps online, but here are our favourites!
Zombies, Run! stimulates a zombie apocalypse environment where you have to run to survive. With the added drama of heart-pumping audio, immerse yourself in a make-believe zombie adventure.
Superhero Workout tracks every rep and calorie through a camera-activated motion tracker that aids you in your journey to become a superhero. Here’s your chance to become your very own Superman!
Battlesuit Runner Fitness is another app that allows you to protect Earth against alien invaders. You’ll have to make choices and decisions that’ll lead to different outcomes, effectively adding another layer of fun, while exercising.
2. Create a Grammy-worthy workout playlist
Music has the same mood lifting abilities as exercise due to the release of dopamine. Incorporating amazing songs into your workout further boosts your mood, and may even serve as a form of distraction from any possible muscle burn or stitches. Additionally, it has also proven to reduce fatigue while exercising, and make the dreaded 30 minutes seem like only 5!
3. Exercise in a group or with a buddy
Working out alone just isn’t as fun. The benefits of group exercise include motivating and encouraging one another during the work out session, which could also improve efficiency of the workout.
4. Use interactive motion sensor games to workout
Sounds pretty fancy for something as simple as the Xbox Kinect or Wii, but these game consoles could also be a good way to motivate yourself to exercise. Although it’s literally all fun and games, the motion sensor allows you to stay active while completing objectives of the games. Similar to when you’re listening to music, 30 minutes may just fly by.
5. Get Out!
Outdoors, that is. You get to appreciate nature, your surroundings and even explore new routes that you’d normally miss. The natural environment is a mood-booster, and benefits both the body and the mind. The distraction of everything happening around you also takes away the fatigue of the workout, allowing you to feel more motivated to achieve your exercise goals.
With that, it’s time to gear up and release that tension you’ve been keeping since the start of the year!
The writer of this article is from ‘Ex-tension: Exercise to Release Tension’, a campaign aimed at promoting aerobic exercise as a fun, healthy and active method of stress management.