Tuesday, December 2, 2008

What Is The Best Exercise To Reduce Stress?

By Don Raemond

Yes, I know exercise is not the an exciting subject to talk about. But it will help you reduce stress, which will improve your sense of well being and lead to a more enjoyable life. If you have avoided exercising, just getting started is the most difficult part.

Reducing stress is a good reason to get the ball rolling. Think about how often you've heard someone say about an ailment, "it's just stress related". People have a tendency to laugh stress off, but the truth is, too much stress in your life can lead to illness and disease. So an exercise program to reduce stress should be one of THE most important priorities in your life.

Exercise will strengthen your body, inside and out and bring your stress levels down. Even performing simple activities like walking, stretching, or hiking will strengthen your heart, lungs and muscles.

Walking may be the best exercise choice for most people. No equipment or membership is necessary and you can do it almost anywhere. Walking can be a very enjoyable activity, especially if you recruit a partner and go out for a walk with the intention of enjoying each others company. Walking with a friend will make the activity something you'll look forward to.

Slowly pick up the pace of your workout to make your walk even more beneficial to your health. Walk a bit faster and a bit farther every week. Walking might just be the best overall activity there is if you do it with a purpose. That means you should challenge yourself and maintain your target heart rate for approximately 20 minutes. If you don't know your what your target heart rate is, you can find out by doing a search on the internet. Pick up a high quality heart rate monitor so you can monitor your heart rate while you walk.

Before you start your walk, you should do some simple stretches so you loosen up any tight muscles, especially in your legs, but also in your shoulders neck and back. Stretching will get the blood pumping and help you to avoid injury.

There are many different activities that you could get involved in to help reduce stress in your life. But walking is simple, exhilarating, and inexpensive. It is an activity that also allows you to get your workout done quickly if you are on a tight schedule. You can stretch and get a good walk in, all in as little as 30 minutes. You can surely budget 1/2 hour a day for something as important as your health.

Even if you have to settle for a short walk occasionally, the exercise and socializing will definitely reduce stress over time. So grab a pair of comfy shoes and a heart rate monitor, and walk as often as you can. It will reduce stress levels, and it will make you feel wonderful. - 16463

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