Saturday, January 10, 2009

The Easiest Way To Reduce Stress

By Don Raemond

I admit exercise is not the most exciting subject to think about. But regular exercise will help you reduce stress in your life, which will improve your sense of well being and lead to a more enjoyable life experience. If you haven't been exercising regularly, overcoming procrastination is the hardest 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 might be easiest exercise choice for most of us. You don't need a membership and you can do it in a short period of time. Walking can be a lot of fun, especially if you have a partner to go on walks with you. You can enjoy some good conversation while you walk. Doing it with a friend will make walking something you'll look forward to doing.

Increase the intensity of your walks to enhance the health benefits. Walk a little faster and increase the distance each week. Walking is the best activity for your health if you do it the right way. So make sure you push yourself and maintain your target heart rate for at least 20 minutes. If you don't have a clue what your target heart rate is, you can easily find out online. Purchase a heart rate monitor if you don't have already own one.

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 a variety of activities that you could choose that will help reduce stress in your life. But walking is easy and inexpensive. It's an activity that allows you to get your workout in fast, and that's important if you are on a tight schedule. You can do your stretches and your walk, in as little as 30-35 minutes. Surely you can find a half an hour a day for something that will make you healthier.

Even if you go for shorter walks occasionally, the combination of exercise and social interaction will dramatically reduce stress in your life. So get a good pair of comfortable shoes and a heart rate monitor, and start walking regularly. It will not only reduce stress, it will make you feel great. - 15438

About the Author: