The holiday season is a great time to gather with family and friends, but it’s also one of the most stressful times of the year. As the holiday season approaches, consider adding an exercise regimen to your life. Exercise is one of the best stress busters. Recent studies show that the right amount of exercise can boost your mental health in all kinds of ways, including reducing anxiety, depression and stress. Aim for at least 2.5 hours of exercise a week but don’t exceed 7.5 hours of weekly exercise. This will help you enjoy the maximum stress-busting benefits of exercise.
Image via pinterest
Here are some exercise ideas to help you eradicate frustration, find “the flow” and laugh your way through holiday stress.
Best Exercises to Get Rid of Holiday Stress and Frustration
These exercises are great ways to eliminate life’s frustrations, plus they are great calorie burners! Try these exercises when you’re ready to let off a little steam:
• Boxing
• Martial Arts
• Squash
• Running
• Bicycling
• Medicine balls (weighted balls that you can throw, slam and bounce)
Best Exercises for Zoning Out Your Holiday Stress
“Zoning out” is often attributed to high-performance athletes, but it’s really something anyone can experience. You’ll want to find an exercise that gives you complete immersion where you forget time and space. This is called “the flow,” a term proposed by positive psychology expert Mihály Csíkszentmihályi during the 1960s.
Flow gives people a sense of immense satisfaction, even though at the time they may experience an almost total absence of feeling or awareness. Flow demands complete, single-minded concentration on the task at hand. It also allows people to lose all feelings of self-consciousness while simultaneously experiencing a sense of personal control and pleasure.
Here are some exercises to help you feel “the flow” and reduce stress this holiday season:
• Yoga
• Balance Work
• Juggling
Laugh To Reduce Holiday Stress
Laughing is one of the best stress reducers around, and when you mix it with exercise, you get a double dose of stress reduction. Here are some ways to incorporate laughter into your exercise:
• Find a group workout class for lap dancing, pole dancing or other fun activity
• Join a stage fighting class, or just practice it at home
• Walk, run or bike with a friend
• Hit the malls just to walk around and people watch. Bring a friend for extra giggles!
• Watch a funny holiday movie while you work out on the treadmill or stationary bike
• Take your dog to the dog park, throw a Frisbee and run around with your pooch
Relax and Enjoy This Holiday Season
Don’t let this holiday season bog you down with stress. By adding stress-reducing exercises to your weekly routine, you’ll benefit from less stress, plus the tremendous physical benefits of exercise. Remember, make exercise fun and productive, and you’ll enjoy this holiday season as you should – with good friends and family, and lots of wonderful memories!
