Prevention Magazine has many short articles that will help anyone with tips about health, fitness, food/nutrition, weight loss, beauty, and home/family. Today’s article is entitled “Workouts for Every Mood”. The article cites information from Dr. Jack Raglin of Indiana University. He suggests that often people skip workouts because they don’t have the strength to switch gears mentally, so he suggests gearing your workout to your mood. I like this approach as it is a “if you can’t lick them, join them” mentality.
1) When you are angry—the best diversion is not the physically challenging in an effort to “work out” the stress but rather to create a workout that challenges you mentally. Learning new moves will help you to switch gears and use your brain for fun instead of staying fixated on your anger. I also use the mental picture when someone is in anger as having a foot on the gas and one on the brake. I believe it is rather pointless to hold on to negative emotion.
2) If you have the blues—Dr. Raglin states that even mind exercise will improve your mood like maybe walking or working in your garden. I like that he refers to this activity as mental recreation and not exercise.
3) If you are feeling bored—He recommends being around people who are engaged in an activity such as walking group or playing tennis, racquetball, golf, etc. One of my favorite benefits of going to the gym is being with others doing what I am doing.
4) When you are feeling drained—do a repetitive activity such as the treadmill. Do the activities that will calm and soothe you. Afterward, soaking in a warm tub will help to restore your energy.
5) When you are happy—don’t celebrate by skipping your workout. A workout can add to your good feelings as well as tune your body and emotions by adding new challenges to your workout.
Some other links to help you get started are:
Minimalist Fitness: How to Get in Lean Shape With Little or No Equipment
5 Easy Ways to Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule
Push Yourself to a Healthy Lifestyle With Web Communities, Tools
Staying Active on Vacation: Here’s How You Do It
Emotional Sobriety Means Healing Mind, Body, and Soul 