It can reduce our risk of developing serious illnesses and boost our mental health – but an Aberdeen fitness coach says cardio might not be the best exercise for everyone.
The likes of running and high-intensity training may have become popular in recent years for people keen to lose weight and improve their health.
But fitness coach Ben Riddell says it could actually be detrimental for some people, especially if they’re suffering from stress or anxiety.
Posture comes first: Your body looks the way you feel
Ben, of Kemnay in Aberdeenshire, believes the most important exercises for anxiety and stress are movements that help to open up your chest.
“One of the key problems, from my experience of working with people with anxiety and depression, is the way that they hold themselves in terms of their posture,” he says.
“Someone who’s lacking in confidence, who’s worried a lot and stressed, is more likely to be slumped over and talking quietly.
“Your body tends to manifest its way into how you feel.
“So if you imagine yourself to be someone very confident and positive, you’re more likely to stand more upright with your chest out.”
Total resistance exercise – or TRX as it’s more commonly known – is a great workout to build strength and open up your chest.
Watch Ben’s top exercises for coping with stress and anxiety:
What is the best exercise for anxiety and stress?
Running can often be the perfect way to pump up your endorphins and wind down after a busy day at work.
But when you’re suffering from anxiety, the shortness of breath and fast-beating heart from cardio training can start to feel uncomfortable, and can even mimic the symptoms of a panic attack.
Reducing the intensity of your workout can be a better way to make sure you’re still getting the exercise your body needs to be healthy.
Ben says there are plenty of other fun exercises you can do to work out such as strength training.
“The thing about strength training, which I think is really important, is that you can start to see and feel improvements relatively quickly,” he says.
“If you stick at something consistently then you’ll get better at it and you’ll be able to push a heavier weight with the exercise that you’re doing.
“The feeling of accomplishment you get will help build your self-esteem and confidence.”
But if you’re not keen on the idea of weights as an exercise for anxiety he suggests there are other types to get your body moving.
Swimming has many health benefits and can also help open up the chest. Dance classes are good exercises for anxiety too, and it’s also a social activity.
How can following the latest fads cause us stress?
Many of us will have tried out the latest fads whether it’s hula hoop dance classes, vibrating plates or reverse running.
And the reason most of us eventually give them up is because, if we’re honest, we didn’t really enjoy it.
Ben says he’s met many clients who insist on running to keep fit when it’s not the exercise they’re keen on and would rather be out hillwalking instead.
“If you start trying to do something you don’t enjoy that brings more stress,” he says.
“I don’t think it matters too much really what kind of exercise you do, as long as the exercise you’re doing is something that you enjoy.
“Because the more things that you enjoy in life, and the more of those things you can do, the happier you’re going to be.”
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