BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, C.S.C.S.
You know that a good workout can help build muscle and strength. But one forgotten training benefit: It can help you decrease stress. Proper training helps alleviate stress by driving mood-boosting endorphins and providing an outlet for pent-up emotion. And that makes training extra-useful as the end of the year nears.
To maximize the stress relief qualities of a workout, you’ll want a blend of moves in your sessions. Moves that downregulate your heart rate keep you in control of your entire system, while intense moves like the skier swing challenge your aerobic system. Need to destress? Try this three-move session three times a week.
The Spiderman lunge is the ultimate total-body stress reliever, and it’ll open your chest, hips, and shoulders. Aim to take a deep breath in each position, slowing your heart rate as you relax your body. Do 3 sets of 3-5 reps per side.
Another stretch movement that lets you control your breathing, the cat cow will also help ease back pain by pushing your spine through a full range of motion. Take two deep breaths during your rounded position and two with your back arched. Do 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
Grab light dumbbells and run through this hinge-focused move that’ll blast your glutes and hamstrings, while also ramping your heart rate and letting you take aggression out on your dumbbells. Squeeze the dumbbells tight and focus on squeezing your glutes as you drive the bells forward. Do 3 30-second sets. Rest 60 seconds between each.