The 5 Best Exercises for Stress Relief
One of the most common pieces of advice relating to mental health is to exercise.
You know exercise has benefits, but how does it reduce your stress - and what kind of exercise should you be doing?
Here at KMA Therapy, we know it can be frustrating to figure out what will work best for your unique mental health needs, so we’re here to help you learn about all of your options.
After reading this article, you’ll know how exercise reduces stress, the five best exercises to reduce stress, and what benefits they hold.
How Does Exercise Reduce Stress?
It’s a pretty common understanding that exercise is good for your mental health, but it’s not always explained why.
Outside of the simple explanation of “making you feel good,” exercise creates both physical and behavioural changes that contribute to stress reduction.
Exercise reduces stress by:
- Decreasing the amount of stress hormones in your body (like adrenaline and cortisol)
- Increasing your endorphins, which add to feelings of happiness and relaxation
- Boosting your self-esteem and confidence
- Increasing your energy levels
5 Exercises to Reduce Stress
Try out these five forms of exercises to help reduce your stress.
1. Walking
If you work at a desk job, you’ve probably already heard how important it is to get up and move throughout your day, and taking a quick walk is a great way to do it.
Running has its own set of benefits, but don’t underestimate the power of brisk walk!
In addition to reducing stress, walking is also known to boost your immune system, reduce joint pain, and boost your health.
Even short, ten-minute walks have been shown to boost your mood.
2. Pilates
Pilates encourages you to focus on your breathing and practice mindfulness as you exercise, making it an excellent choice to reduce stress.
Pilates offers additional benefits including:
- Improving your sleep
- Boosting focus and concentration
- Reducing anxiety and depression
Doing pilates in a reformer studio can be a great choice for some people, but for others, you might prefer to follow along to a routine on YouTube. Either way, you’ll get a ton of benefits from the mindful and intentional movements.
3. Team sports
Moving your body is always great, but team sports offer the additional benefits of social support.
Team sports can help you with:
- Developing a stronger sense of community
- Growing decision making skills
- Building self-esteem
Whether you’re interested in something that offers a lot of cardio, like soccer, or you’re looking for something more low-impact, like pickleball, a team sport may be just what you’re looking for.
4. Weight training
Weight training and resistance exercises are related to lower levels of stress and anxiety.
If you’re the kind of person who loves to go to the gym, make sure you’re adding some weight training into your workout routine.
Even if you don’t want to invest in a gym membership, there are exercises you can do using your own bodyweight that offer similar physical and mental health benefits.
Body-weight exercises are also great because they’re:
- Cost-effective (they’re free to do)
- Adjustable depending on your fitness level
- Less intimidating (you can do them in private)
- Able to engage multiple muscle groups at once
5. Yoga
Yoga is a classic recommendation for stress relief, and that’s because it works.
Yoga encourages both mental and physical relaxation, a powerful combination to reduce your stress.
There are a range of different yoga styles you can try, including hot yoga and core power yoga.
A quick search on YouTube will offer you a variety of classes that you can choose based on your interests and needs.
Combining Exercises for Stress Relief
Another great way to bust your stress is to create a combination of these exercises that works well for you.
Combining yoga and walking, for example, provides you with the movement and endorphin-releasing benefits of walking with the breath work and mindfulness of yoga.
The best type of exercise will always be the kind you will actually do - so don’t be afraid to experiment until you find something you like.
Next Steps for Reducing Stress
After reading this article, you know how exercise can reduce your stress, and the five best exercises for stress reduction.
Here at KMA Therapy, we’re here for when you need some extra support in your stress management.
Explore our Stress Management page to learn about our therapy options, or download our free Therapy 101 Guide to learn more about how therapy can work for you.
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