Feeling overwhelmed? These simple exercises can help to relieve unwanted stress
This is part four of our four-part series of stories exploring stress, the nuances that come with the psychological and physiological response and its relationship with running.
If you find it hard to focus on a task – no matter how trivial – when you’re feeling stressed, you’re not alone.
Luckily, researchers, athletes and coaches alike have all touted exercise as a great way to cope with day-to-day stressors. 'Research shows that when it comes to using exercise to support our mental health, every step counts,' says Jennifer Heisz, associate professor in kinesiology at McMaster University and author of Move the Body, Heal the Mind.
But which exercises should runners turn to when they're feeling tense? We've shared what you need to know about using exercise for stress relief, plus two workouts to that can help you feel calm while developing your strength and mobility.
The science behind exercise for stress relief
There's plenty of research to show that regular exercise can increase your sense of calm.
A frequently cited 2014 study published in Frontiers in Physiology – involving 111 physically active and sedentary individuals – compared how participants responded to a stressful task by measuring their heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol levels and self-reported mood before and after they completed it. The study found that participants who weren’t physically active reported a decline in mood after completing the stressful task, leading to the conclusion that exercising at least once a week can protect against the emotional effects of stress.
Research published in Scientific Reports has also shown that running can help to relieve stress by boosting brain activity. Having studied 26 healthy runners, it suggests that 10 minutes of running can improve executive function – involving cognitive skills like working memory, attention and self control – as well as emotional response.
What's more, when you exercise, your body releases various hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which can affect things like your heart rate, energy and mood. But, physical activity also releases a hormone known as neuropeptide Y (NPY), which plays an important role in regulating your energy, sleep and emotions, and in building stress resistance. It is thought that NPY builds stress resilience by reducing amygdala activity, says Heisz, which is a critical brain region involved in fear processing and which is typically elevated in anxiety disorders.
So, how much exercise do you need to do to reap the stress-relieving benefits? A nine-week study co-authored by Heisz and published in the Journal of Affective Disorders suggests that just 30 minutes of exercise is enough. Here, researchers examined how anxiety levels – which can stem from stress – changed in 45 participants after a bout of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. It found that movement can help to reduce the state of anxiety, with effects lasting for 10 minutes after completing the workout.
'Exercise will activate the stress system, but then there’s this beautiful after period, the aftermath of exercise, where the stress system deactivates from not just exercise stress, but all stresses in our life,' says Heisz. 'So we get this reprieve that can last for hours after the exercise.'
This holds true for resistance training and other forms of exercise, too. In fact, an eight-week study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences on the effects of exercise and life stress suggests that any exercise – particularly endurance and resistance training – can help to regulate stress levels, as opposed to not exercising at all.
Essentially, all exercise, when not done to excess, can help you to destress. The key is finding what works best for you – even if that changes from one day to the next – so you can stay consistent.
How to use exercise to relieve stress
On stressful days, try to keep things simple.
'Overthinking and overcomplicating exercises will add more stress,' says Jacqueline Kasen, certified personal trainer and senior director of group fitness at Anatomy in Miami, USA. This is why Kasen suggests sticking to the moves you know best, like bodyweight exercises on strength and conditioning days.
'Stress is always around us. No matter where we are. We can’t hide from it, but we can learn how to recognise, address, combat and recycle it,' continues Natalia Perez-Segini, a certified personal trainer and head coach at Tone House. Practicing a recovery workout, like the yoga-inspired one below, will help you to recoup post-run while feeling calm.
We enlisted Kasen and Perez-Segini to design the following two workouts with runners in mind, so you can manage your stress levels without deviating from your training plan.
Strength exercises for stress relief
This strength workout includes easy-to-do exercises, but takes a multifaceted approach to stress relief, says Kasen. In addition to releasing mood-regulating hormones, strength workouts can help runners to maintain a sense of control, promote mindfulness and improve overall physical fitness.
How to do the workout:
Perform each exercise in the order listed below for 30 seconds. Rest for one minute in between each exercise. Kasen suggests breathing deeply as you do each rep to help you maintain mindfulness throughout the workout. Focus on deep breathing during rest breaks, too – take three-second inhales through your nose and three-second exhales through your mouth.
For this workout, you'll need a mat – a dumbbell or kettlebell is optional.
1. Glute bridge march
How to do it:
Lie with your face up and knees bent, with your feet planted hip-width apart.
Keeping your head and shoulders on ground, drive through your feet to your lift hips, engaging your glutes.
Slowly lift your left foot and drive your knee to your chest, with your knee bent at 90 degrees.
Step your left foot back down.
Slowly lift your right foot and drive your knee to your chest, with your knee bent at 90 degrees.
Step your right foot back down.
Continue alternating.
Make it mindful:
Kasen suggests you focus on your glute and hamstring engagement during this exercise. Think about squeezing these muscles on the back of the body each time you switch legs, driving your foot on the mat into the ground.
2. Alternating lateral lunge
How to do it:
Stand with your feet together.
Take a wide step to the left, so your feet are wider than shoulder-width apart, and bend your left knee while shifting your weight to your left heel and sending your hips back and down. Look forward and keep your back straight. Make sure your knee tracks over your toes.
Drive your left foot into the ground to stand up and step your left foot back to the centre.
Repeat with the right leg.
Continue alternating.
Make it mindful:
Keep your foot, hip and knee aligned when you’re lowering into the lunge, says Kasen. Think about keeping your weight in the heel of the bent leg and driving through that foot to stand up, engaging your glutes.
3. Copenhagen plank
How to do it:
With a bench by your feet, lie on your left side with your left hand on the ground, directly under your shoulder. Extend your right arm to ceiling. Stack your shoulders, hips and knees.
Place your right foot on top of a bench or chair and your left foot on the ground.
Lift up your hips, engaging your core, and push your left foot into the bench to activate the inner thigh.
Hold.
Release, then repeat on your right side.
Make it mindful:
Focus on keeping your chest open and avoid shrugging your shoulders, says Kasen. Breathe deeply through the hold, and focus on driving your hand on the mat into the ground while driving your bottom leg into the bench. It’s all about full-body activation.
4. Single-leg deadlift
How to do it:
Stand on your right leg, with a soft bend in the knee, and lift your left foot slightly off the floor.
Hinge at the hips by sending your glutes straight back. Keep your back flat, shoulders down and core engaged as your torso reaches toward the floor and your left leg lifts straight back behind you. Only lower until you feel a slight pull in the back of your leg.
Drive your right foot into the floor to stand back up, engaging your glutes.
Repeat.
Then, repeat on the left side.
Make it mindful:
While standing, find something straight in front of you to look at. This will help you to keep your chest open and maintain good posture as you hinge forward, says Kasen. Think about activating the back of your standing leg, too, and press your big toe of that foot into the floor for stability.
5. Alternating reverse lunge with hop
How to do it:
Stand with your feet together.
Step back with your right foot and lower into a lunge, with both of your knees bending at 90 degrees.
Push through your left foot to stand, exploding upward to hop on your left leg, and drive your right knee up toward your chest.
Land softly, then step back into a lunge.
Repeat.
Then, switch sides and repeat.
Make it mindful:
Focus on keeping your body as vertical as possible. Engage your glutes and drive your foot into the floor to create power.
6. Alternating plank shoulder tap to push-up
How to do it:
Start in a plank position, shoulders over wrists, forming a straight line from head to heels.
Bend elbows, about 45-degrees from torso, and lower body to floor in one straight line.
Push back up to plank.
Then, tap right hand to left shoulder. Place it back down in plank.
Tap left hand to right shoulder. Place it back down in plank.
Repeat the sequence from the top.
Make it mindful:
Keep your mind on full-body engagement through this entire move: shoulders stable, core tight, and legs engaged so you maintain one long line.
7. Pogo jumps
How to do it:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Keeping your legs straight, push off from the floor from the balls of your feet and swing up your arms to jump as high as possible.
Land softly, bending your knees.
As soon as you land, jump again.
Repeat.
Make it mindful:
Stay controlled and vertical as you jump up, says Kasen, who suggests locking your focus straight ahead rather than down.
Yoga exercises for stress relief
'This workout allows for deeper connection with the breath, which promotes an easy entry point into regulating the nervous system,' says Perez-Segini, noting how a well-managed nervous system deepens your mind-body connection and improves your rest, relaxation and digestion.
By practicing mindful and calculated breathing during this workout, runners can prepare for better release during each movement pattern, she adds.
How to do the workout:
Perez-Segini suggests practicing this workout after more strenuous exercise like a run or strength circuit, although it's also beneficial to do in the morning or evening. Complete each exercise in the order below for the number of reps outlined. You won't need any equipment for this workout, but a chair and a mat are optional.
1. Cool down walk
How to do it:
Walk at an easy pace for five minutes (at a 1% incline if you're on a treadmill).
Make it mindful:
Perez-Segini suggests taking this opportunity to focus on your breathing – take long and slow inhales followed by long and slow exhales.
While you walk, Perez-Segini also suggests you practice noting, which is the process of labelling thoughts as they arise in your head. For example, if you notice your attention shift from your breathing to what’s for dinner, you should label it as hungry, then shift your focus back to breathing.
2. Cat Cow
How to do it:
Start on all fours, with your wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Slowly inhale, lifting the crown of your head and tailbone upward to come into a slight back bend.
Pause, then slowly exhale, drawing your belly button to your spine while tucking your tailbone forward and drawing your chin toward your chest.
Repeat for 10 reps.
Make it mindful:
'Our spine is arguably one of the most important parts of the human body,' says Perez-Segini. This is why it’s important to slow down and focus on how you’re articulating each vertebrae. Also, focus on the extension and flexion of your body as you practice this movement – doing so will allow you to notice how your spine feels, she says.
3. Child’s pose to upward facing dog
How to do it:
Start kneeling on the floor with your knees hip-width apart.
Send your hips back to your heels, rest your head on the mat and extend your arms out far in front.
Hold for three rounds of breath.
Then, shift your bodyweight forward toward your hands while straightening your legs, pushing the tops of your feet into the ground.
Bring your shoulders back and down, and slightly tilt your chin to gaze upward.
Stay in this position for three rounds of breath.
Repeat for three reps.
Make it mindful:
Perez-Segini suggests lengthening your arms and fingertips as you flow into a deeper stretch for both positions of this exercise.
4. Downward dog walks
How to do it:
Start in a high plank position with your wrists under your shoulders and your feet hip-width apart.
Push your hands into the ground while lifting your hips up and back, driving your heels down toward the floor.
Begin to bend one knee at a time while trying to energetically drive your feet toward the ground.
Stay in this position for up to 10 rounds of breath.
Make it mindful:
Focus on your hamstrings, calves and Achilles as you bend and extend your opposite knees. Drive your heel in the direction of the floor to amplify the stretch throughout the back of the legs, says Perez-Segini.
5. Forward fold
How to do it:
Stand with your arms by your sides, with your toes slightly elevated.
Raise your arms to the ceiling and inhale, then fold over your legs while keeping a soft bend in your knees on an exhale.
Hold this position for up to 10 rounds of breath.
Make it mindful:
This move will target the muscles in the back of your legs and lumbar spine. Perez-Segini suggests elevating your toes to amplify the stretch in your Achilles, calves and hamstrings. You can also bend your knees and allow the sit bones to reach higher toward the ceiling. The key is to focus on slow, deep breaths, she says.
6. Pigeon pose
How to do it:
Start in a downward dog position.
Draw your right knee in toward your wrist, then gently place your right shin on the floor. Keep your knee and ankle in a horizontal line if possible.
Keep your left leg straight and in line with the left side of your body. Stay in this position with an upright chest and palms planted on the ground.
If you want to amplify this stretch, walk your hands forward and lower your chest toward the ground.
Hold for 10 rounds of breath.
Make it mindful:
This move is exactly what you need if you have tight hips, says Perez-Segini. Focus on keeping your hips square and avoid leaning into the opposite hip.
7. Deep sumo squat
How to do it:
Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart.
Squat all the way down to the ground while bringing your hands to a prayer position in front of your chest.
Once at the bottom of the squat, push your palms together and push your elbows into your knees to slightly widen the squat stance.
Hold for up to 10 rounds of breath.
Make it mindful:
Perez-Segini suggests sitting on a prop or set of blocks for more comfort during this pose. In this position, focus on driving your elbows into your knees to help increase the external rotation of the hips and access a deeper stretch. As with all moves, breathe through it and try to relax into the pose.
8. Supine windshield wipers
How to do it:
Lie with your face up, bring your knees toward chest and extend your arms out to the sides to form a 'T' shape.
Keep your shoulders on the ground and let your knees fall to the left side of body. Pause.
Bring your knees back to centre, then to the right side of your body. Pause.
Continue alternating for 30 seconds.
Make it mindful:
Windshield wipers help to decompress the lower spine, says Perez-Segini. Sync your breath with the side-to-side movement, inhaling to bring your knees to centre and exhaling to bring your knees to either side of your body.
9. Supine trunk rotation
How to do it:
Lie with your face up, bring your knees toward chest and extend your arms out to the sides to form a 'T' shape.
Let your knees fall to the left side of your body and look over your right shoulder.
Hold for up to 10 rounds of breath.
Then, repeat on the other side.
Make it mindful:
Perez-Segini suggests keeping your shoulders on the ground to the best of your ability so you can achieve true upper and lower spine rotation.
10. 4-5-6 breathing
How to do it:
Sit on a chair or cross-legged on the ground, or lie with your face up and arms and legs extended.
Close your eyes or keep a very soft gaze. Keeping your mouth sealed, breathe in and out through your nose. Set a timer for three minutes.
Inhale for four seconds.
Hold for five seconds.
Exhale for six seconds.
Repeat.
Make it mindful:
'This breathwork sequence is designed to help you tap into the parasympathetic nervous system,' says Perez-Segini, who suggests setting a timer to enable you to keep your rhythm.
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