6 Effective Workouts to Relieve Stress in Women

There are many different factors that cause stress. A few of the well-known causes of stress are finances, work and relationships. People tend to cause themselves stress by, quite frankly, thinking too much. The effects of stress can drastically affect your mood and the moods of those around you. It can also lead to physical problems, as well as psychological problems such as depression. According to Dr. Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise said, "Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, has consistently been shown to be effective in helping individuals manage stress."

A few of the best stress relieving workouts are:

Aerobics

The combination of exercise and music is a great stress-relieving workout called aerobics. Most fitness clubs offer aerobics classes as part of their package. Aerobics can be done to a variety of music and aerobic programs can be purchased on DVD so that you can do them in your home. You can find styles and classes that fit your taste and genre of music. Several churches offer Body and Soul classes, which is aerobics done to Christian based music.

Pilates

Mind-body exercises, such as pilates will force you to concentrate on your breathing and your movements and leave little room in your head to think about anything other than what you are doing at the present moment. Pilates is a stress-relieving workout that focuses on strengthening your core muscles, such as your back and abs. It also will improve your flexibility and agility.

Walking

A brisk 20-minute walk is great for your cardiovascular system as well as a stress-relieving workout. The great thing about walking is if you do this with someone else, you can chat and get a few things off your chest that is causing you stress. Talking about problems that cause you stress will give you a chance to get someone else's perspective. Sometimes just being able to just get it off your chest helps.

Running

Running has been a very good stress-relieving workout for myself. When I'm running I force myself to look at different things around the neighborhood and ask myself questions about it so that I can control my thoughts. Otherwise my mind will start to drift and I'll think about things that stress me out or start telling myself that I'll never be able to make it to the goal I've set for running that day.

Tennis

A competitive or light-hearted game of tennis requires concentration and focus. Playing tennis is a stress-relieving workout that will detoxify your body of stress causing adrenaline because it is a vigorous activity.

Swimming

Water is soothing to most people, which makes swimming a very effective stress-relieving workout. It's always a good idea to swim with a partner in case you get into trouble and need help. If swimming isn't your thing, you can try water aerobics or water walking.

The best stress-relieving workout is one that fits your personality and your lifestyle. If you feel anxious around crowds, then an exercise class is not going to be as good for you as another stress-relieving workout that can be done alone like walking or running. A stress relieving workout not only relieves stress, but also elevates your mood. The other benefits of a stress relieving workout are weight loss, muscle toning and becoming healthier.

Source:

http://www.acefitness.org/media/media_display.aspx?itemid=235