Exercise to beat anxiety – Staying fit & healthy

Published: May 24, 2020

Anxiety is something every person will experience in a lifetime. For some, anxiety is an innate response for stressful occasions. However, many studies have recently been conducted on the correlation between inactivity and anxiety. People who lead an inactive lifestyle are much more prone to depression, stress, and, you guessed it, anxiety. But the question still remains lingering in the air – can you really use exercise to beat anxiety? And we ask you, with all the proven mental health benefits of exercise, what makes you think that it won’t?

If you want both your mental and physical health to be in check, then you have to partake in some physical activity. The question is how much physical activity is enough to keep you healthy and sane? And which exercises should you do? Well, let’s find out!

You don’t have to struggle with exercise to beat anxiety

In fact, all of the activities we are about to mention will be lightweight and fun. A lot of them will have great benefits for both your mental and physical health and they don’t have to cost a dime. That means that there are no excuses for you not to start working on your health as soon as today!

1. Hiking

Hiking sure seems like the magical exercise for pretty much anything. Want to lose a couple of pounds? Go hiking. Need to protect your joints but still get a good workout? Forget about jogging – hiking is the way to go. Need to work on your mental health? Then hiking will be the perfect activity for you. Why is hiking so beneficial? And why will you get it as a recommendation from almost any fitness instructor Dubai based?

For starters, hiking is an activity that’s almost exclusively done in nature. And there are many research studies that show the impressive effects of nature on our entire system. Being away from the hustle and bustle of a city coupled with an increased heart rate from a 30-minute hike will be enough to relieve your stress levels. So the next time you feel stressed and anxious, just go on a little retreat in nature and take a breath of fresh air. It will do wonders for your health and mental wellbeing.

2. Yoga

Another activity that seems to work well for every occasion is yoga. After all, with its zen properties, you had to have guessed that it will make an appearance on the list of exercises to beat anxiety. The great thing about yoga is that it works wonders for both beginners and those with more experience. If you are completely new to the world of yoga, we suggest you hire a yoga instructor Dubai for the time being. Of course, you can continue to work with him/her after you get some more experience or you can decide to go on your own.

Either way, yoga will help you focus on breathing and achieve a Zen state of mind. And this is a proven fact, as studies have shown that partaking in yoga will decrease your anxiety, stress, and neurotic symptoms. Even if you aren’t experiencing any of these symptoms, wouldn’t it be good to prevent them and not have to address them later on?

3. Dance

If you want to stick to exercising, one of the most important things is to do those exercises that you enjoy. For a lot of people, dancing is a great way of entertainment. But dancing is also a very powerful way to become fit. Most importantly, this level of physical activity coupled with the fact that you are doing something that you love will do wonders for your mental health. And here you were, thinking that it will be hard and strenuous to exercise to beat anxiety. In reality, all you have to do is turn up the music and dance your heart out.

But if dancing isn’t your scene (nor is yoga or hiking), then you might be more of a person who likes to sweat it out in the gym. Are you a fan of working with the machines? Hey, there are many people who feel like they are making more progress by working on the treadmill or bench press. If you are one of them, we have great news for you.

4. Weights

Weight training is almost always associated with a lot of muscles. And we can’t deny the fact that weight training will build some muscles – but is that really a bad thing? However, if all you want is to reduce stress, you don’t have to become a bodybuilder. You can just conduct weight training once a week and regulate your sleep pattern, as well as boost your mood and self-esteem. Most importantly, you will rid yourself of a lot of built-up anxiety. And who knows – you might end up realizing that you love the new, bulkier you and decide to turn it up a notch when it comes to weights.

Exercises to beat anxiety don’t necessarily focus on physical gains

It’s quite obvious that you won’t get in the best shape of your love by hiking once a week, nor will you do so by doing yoga every few days. But we here at DubaiPT believe that your mental health precedes your level of fitness. After all, when you are free of stress and anxiety, it will be much easier and certainly more enjoyable to work on your fitness and physical appearance. Exercise to beat anxiety is something you should do even if you are in a good place at the moment. Sooner or later, we all find ourselves stressed and maybe even depressed. That’s when we’ll need something to lift us up – something like the above-mentioned activities.