How To Relieve Anxiety Through Exercise

Anxiety, Stress, Depression, Mental Health, Loneliness

Exerpy (exercise therapy) can be effectively used to gain some relief from mental health conditions such as chronic anxiety and mild to moderate depression.

Wish you could put a stop to that racing mind? There may be a way: through exercise. The benefits of exercise have been proven time and time again, with aerobic exercise, in particular, being linked to the relaxation of muscles, reduced tension in the face and shoulders, lowered blood pressure, and improved heart health—just to name a few.

Research has also shown that regular physical activity can encourage the release of important mood-elevating brain chemicals like endorphins, adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and can be beneficial in some situations. It can alert us to dangers and help us prepare and pay attention. Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness and involve excessive fear or anxiety.

Everyone gets anxious from time to time. It’s an expected reaction to stress, danger, or big changes. But some people struggle with anxiety all the time — even when there’s seemingly nothing to worry about. For them, even small things can trigger intense fear and panic, which makes life feel overwhelming and uncontrollable.

That’s what it means to have an anxiety disorder. A person with an anxiety disorder feels anxious most of the time and may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also have physical symptoms like sweating, trembling, dizziness or a rapid heartbeat. If you have anxiety that’s persistent, irrational, and overwhelms your ability to function, it may be an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting over 18% of the population every year. This means that there are more than 40 million adults who struggle with an anxiety disorder, yet only about one-third of those affected receive treatment for their condition. Anxiety can manifest itself in a number of ways, including panic attacks and phobias. The symptoms of anxiety can be physically, mentally, and emotionally overwhelming.

Anxiety disorders can interfere with one’s life, making it difficult to function normally on a day-to-day basis. The good news is that these conditions are treatable. The key is learning how to recognize the symptoms and signs of anxiety disorders and getting help early on.

Anxiety is the main symptom of several conditions, including:

  • panic disorder
  • phobias, such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia
  • post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • social anxiety disorder (social phobia)

How Can Exercise Relieve Anxiety?

Woman, Jogging, Running, Exercise, Fitness, Earphones

Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your body, and it can also help with mental health conditions like anxiety. Exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication—but without the side effects, of course.

One study found that after just 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, people reported feeling happier and more energetic than when they were resting. The researchers also examined the participants’ blood samples after the activities and found lower levels of cytokines and increased levels of endorphins — which may explain why exercise increases energy levels and decreases feelings of fatigue.

Exercise therapy can also decrease anxiety levels. Researchers have suggested that certain types of exercise could be a natural antidepressant because it stimulates the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory.

The study’s lead researcher said: “If a person has been depressed and is recovering, antidepressants help them make new neurons. Exercise helps them make new neurons and new connections.”

Exerpy has been proven to help people suffering from anxiety disorders by regulating heart rate and blood pressure, reducing stress hormones, providing a feeling of accomplishment, and exercising social skills. Exercise therapy helps self-esteem and creates a sense of belonging when performed with others.

We all know that exercise releases endorphins which make us feel good, but did you also know that it reduces inflammation and improves immune system function? Exercise is also responsible for releasing growth factors that can improve brain function as well as foster new brain cell growth.

Exercise Reduces Anxiety Levels

For many people, anxiety is a constant companion. It’s distracting and exhausting, but can also be debilitating to the point of preventing them from doing everyday activities. Fortunately, there are many ways to ease the symptoms of anxiety. And one simple way, according to experts, is exercise therapy.

“Exercise is important for people with anxiety and depression,” says Dr. Peter Bongiorno, a naturopathic doctor, and co-author of How Come They’re Happy and I’m Not?: The Complete Natural Program for Healing Depression for Good. “It not only increases endorphins — which are anti-depressants in the brain — but also helps normalize blood sugar and improve circulation to the brain.”

It may seem counterintuitive, but exercise can actually reduce your anxiety.

“When you exercise, you have an increase in blood flow,” Dr. Simon Rego, psychology chief at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, told Healthline. “Blood flow is critical for the maintenance of brain functioning and mood.”

During times of stress, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol can actually be good for you when it’s released in moderation by helping you respond to threats.

However, when it’s released too often or is released in large amounts, it can lead to problems with memory and learning. It can also lead to weight gain and depression. Exercise has been found to reduce cortisol levels.

In addition to the release of cortisol, your body also releases endorphins when you’re under stress. Endorphins are the body’s natural painkiller. They block pain signals from traveling through the spinal cord to the brain and help release a flood of natural chemicals that make a person feel good.

What Exercises Should I Do?

Man, Exercise, Outdoors, Park, Street, Nature, Fitness

Any activity that gets your heart rate elevated can have benefits for your mental health. More specifically, however, cardio exercises have been shown to be especially effective at improving mood and alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety. Simply put, they get the blood flowing and deliver more oxygen to the brain than other types of exercise.

Examples of cardio exercises include:

  • Brisk walking
  • Jogging or running
  • Biking or swimming

If you’re not sure where to start, consider giving Exerpy’s free trial a shot. They will customize exercises that will align with your body and current living situation.

Exerpy – Exercise Therapy For Mental Health

You’ve been meaning to exercise, but between work and life’s obligations, your schedule is tight.

Maybe you’re not sure when to fit it in.

You might be feeling too overwhelmed with anxiety or depression to ever even consider an exercise therapy program.

Or, maybe you’re nervous about exercising around others or have other concerns that keep you from the gym.

Whatever the reason, getting started with exercise isn’t always easy. But it can be done! If you’re worried about how to fit exercise into your busy day or are nervous about exercising around others, you’re not alone.

Exercise therapy for mental health conditions like anxiety can be a helpful tool for managing symptoms and improving well-being. It also helps improve your physical health and control weight. In fact, regular exercise is one of the most effective tools for managing anxiety and depression.

If you have anxiety or another mental health condition, it can sometimes be difficult to get the right combination of medication and therapy that works. Exercise is a great way to relieve tension and stress and is a proven mood enhancer, but it’s not always easy to fit into your lifestyle. That’s where exercise therapy comes in.

Exercise therapy is based on the principle that regular physical activity helps with anxiety symptoms, and can even help prevent them from occurring in the first place. Exercise has been proven to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and can also reduce the frequency of panic attacks.

“Eighty percent of people who are depressed are sedentary,” says Gary Kennedy, MD, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “The more they exercise, the better they feel.”

Try Out Exerpy

Exerpy stands for exercise therapy. Our goal at Exerpy is to help people smile and feel better again. Mental health concerns are a huge burden to deal with, and we aim to use exercise therapy to assist people with that. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us today to give it a try.

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Quinn is a professional, multi-faceted writer with a background and professional knowledge base that spans many industries. He goes above and beyond in everything he does and has an attitude and mindset of perseverance and dedication.

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