Is Yoga Good For Anxiety?
There are a great deal of studies that show exercise is good for anxiety. It helps burn off the hormones of stress, reduces fatigue, improves concentration and reduces anxiety. Exercise stimulates the production of endorphins that make you feel good. It helps you sleep, which can reduce anxiety and depression. Exercise stabilizes your mood, and just five minutes of aerobic exercise can provide anti-anxiety benefits. One study shows that yoga could be a beneficial supplementary treatment for anxiety.
Studies on anxiety and depression found that yoga and other types of meditative practices can help reduce stress.
Studies on meditation and yoga for both depression and anxiety started back in the 1970s. While meditation was the preferred technique in the 70s, yoga has become more popular. Yoga uses physical poses that work the muscles, just as other types of exercise, breathing practice that helps calm and meditation. All three things can reduce stress and bring more relaxation to the body.
Sometimes the reaction to stress becomes a habit and exaggerates the more it occurs.
Chronic anxiety comes with an exaggerated stress response. Yoga can bring relief through techniques that offer self-soothing. The meditation, relaxation, expenditure of energy and even sometimes, getting together with friends can shut off the switch that increases anxiety and stress. It helps reduce perceived danger and change the mind by aiding in lowering blood pressure, heart rate and rate of respiration.
Studies show that yoga can also increase pain thresholds and increase pain tolerance.
The study used MRIs to show the area of the brain that showed a response to pain. There was more activity in people that didn't use yoga. It showed those who practiced yoga had a higher pain tolerance. The study showed that those who practiced yoga had lower pain responses. People with hypersensitivity to pain also had higher anxiety and those with lower pain response suffered from less anxiety.
- If you don't have time for a full blown exercise session, just a quick ten minute walk can be of benefit. It may be the reason that people pace when they're nervous. If you're depressed, try walking briskly for a few minutes.
- When you do yoga, you learn to relax the body. That learned technique can be important when anxiety and stress sets in and takes over thoughts. It trains you to relax.
- Yoga, like any type of exercise, can help make you strong and improve your posture. Both changes can give you more self-confidence. Building self-confidence can also help overcome anxiety.
- Whether discussing yoga or any form of exercise, there is a connection between mind and body. When you exercise, you build energy and strength, but you also make changes in the brain. It helps improve clarity of thought and boosts cognitive thinking, as well as benefiting your overall mood.
For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness
Our clients love to workout at Habitat Health and Fitness in Lakeland, Florida, because we offer workouts to build muscle, burn calories and build all types of fitness, endurance, strength, flexibility and balance. We focus on building muscle tissue, since the more you have, the easier it is to lose weight. We also focus on workouts that are so effective, you don't have to workout as long and still get the benefits of building muscle tissue. Here are a few of my favorite muscle building exercises.
Are grains unhealthy? The answer is not as simple as it seems. There are all types of grains and a variety of methods to process them. Not all grains are created equally. Whole grains are not the same as refined grains when it comes to nutrition. Whole grains contain all the nutrients of the bran, germ and endosperm. The bran is the outer layer of the grain that has minerals, antioxidants and fiber. The germ has the most nutrition with protein, fats, phytonutrients and antioxidants. The endosperm, which is the biggest bulk of the grain, is just starchy carbs and a tiny amount of protein. Refined grains only contain the endosperm and none of the nutritious content of the bran and germ.
If you've ever reached a point that seemed no matter what you did, your weight wouldn't budge, you've reached a plateau. That's one of the most common problems people face when they're trying to lose weight and often a reason people come to Habitat for Health and Fitness in Lakeland, FL. Not every plateau is the same. In some cases, you may not be losing weight, but are making progress. You may be replacing fat tissue with muscle tissue. Muscle tissue is denser and weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does, so you're actually losing inches and look thinner, which is the ultimate goal of weight loss.
It's not always easy for parents with small children to come to Habitat for Health and Fitness in Lakeland, Florida, every day or other day. That's when home workouts, especially those short enough to be done during nap time, can be a huge benefit to fill in the gaps. Some workouts are only a few minutes of intense exercise and others last longer. Depending on how long nap time lasts, choose one that fits in your schedule. You'll feel revitalized and ready to go when you get your workout in for the day.
Lots of clients at Habitat Health and Fitness tell me how good they feel after a workout. They note that not only do they feel like they have more energy, they feel less stressed and happier. There's a reason for that. Exercise helps burn off the negative stress hormones that affect your body throughout the day and keep you with the feeling of a knot in your stomach. But there are other ways fitness helps with mental health and studies that show the positive effect.
Many of my clients start out just wanting to get fit and end up wanting to develop that beach body everyone envies. It's all part of feeling good about yourself when you start to see results. I've heard some crazy ideas about what to eat when bulking up, which even extend to some fallacies about using snack foods to help put on weight or soda. Everyone has different builds and metabolisms, but one thing is certain, if you're human, your body is constantly changing with every change you make and year you add. My advice to those who want more bulk, "Remember, what you do today will affect your tomorrow."
I hear all sorts of buzz about different types of diets at Habitat Health and Fitness in Winter Haven, FL. One of the more popular ones is the Paleolithic Diet. It's a diet that would have us eat like our cavemen ancestors in the Paleolithic Era. That era was before man learned to farm, and is thought to be a more natural match genetically than today's diet.
Clients in Lakeland, Florida say that road trips often throw off their healthy eating and exercise program. There are several ways to combat that problem. For exercise, stop every hour or two and simply walk or even do simple exercises. Plan the trip ahead to make stops at places that offer healthy food and take healthy snacks for the car. In fact, you might even map out a grocery or farmer's market along the way. Preparing ahead of time is important. Snacks can help prevent you from overeating and making desperation stops at fast food chains.
Will you get faster results if you workout every day? It all depends on what you consider a workout. If you're lifting weights every day, STOP! You'll actually be losing ground rather than gaining it. When you lift weights or do strength building exercises, it makes micro tears in the muscle that need time to heal. When they heal, they get bigger and stronger. If you don't give that time to heal, which means you won't get stronger and often go backward, getting weaker in the process.