When it comes to improving our fitness and supporting mental wellbeing there are so many incredible benefits to having a varied exercise routine.
Conditioning our cardiovascular system through activities such as walking, running, rowing, cycling, swimming, as well as working our muscles through resistance training are all a key part of creating and maintaining a strong healthy body. And help us feel good!
However, it is also equally important to include exercises in your weekly routine that promote relaxation and reduce stress to support all round health and mental wellbeing.
To illustrate this, let's chat about our amazing nervous system for a moment....
As the nervous system is a huge and complex topic I'm just going to highlight certain aspects that relate to this specific post.
In a nutshell our body's nervous system is made up of two main parts; the central nervous system (CNS) brain and spinal chord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) network of nerves throughout the body. Within the PNS lies our somatic nervous system (voluntary movement) and autonomic nervous system (involuntary movement).
The autonomic nervous system is where our sympathetic (fight or flight response) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems are found.
In relation to exercise, when we do moderate to high intensity workouts our body will typically activate the sympathetic nervous system. In other words our "fight or flight" response which puts our body on high alert. Conversely, when we perform slower movements found in certain parts of exercise methods such as yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi for example we encourage our body to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Although both of these systems are valuable to us, we can often find ourselves in "fight or flight" mode too much too often. In other words, living off the sympathetic nervous system. This can be caused by the daily stresses of modern life, too much high intensity training without adequate recovery between workouts, and not including things that help you to relax and recharge your mind and body.
In the video above I share some of my favourite movements that I have found really help promote relaxation and help release tension in the hips, shoulders, back and chest. Personally I aim to do these types of exercises daily before bed to set me up for a good sleep but otherwise they can be done anytime you feel you need to de-stress.
I absolutely love high intensity training LOVE IT! But through my work as a fitness professional and going through my own fitness journey, the benefits of doing awesome high energy stuff as well as gentle movements that promote mind body connection can have a profound effect on your health and wellbeing.
Hope this is helpful. If you have any questions at all on this topic please do feel free to contact me directly on 07399 572826 or amalia@gyre-fit.com.
Amalia xx
*DISCLAIMER: Always consult your doctor or health care provider before trying a new diet or exercise program to check it is suitable for you. My recommendation would be to also watch any of my workout based videos once through before attempting any of the exercises. It is important to warm up before and cool down appropriately after each workout.
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