How Exercise, Like Pilates, Can Be A Stress Reliever

Are you feeling the impacts of stress? You are not alone. According to the Stress and Wellbeing in Australia survey, the majority of Australians feel that stress impacts either their physical or mental health. Exercise is frequently promoted as a stress-relieving strategy (we’re biased but we suggest reformer Pilates). Why? There are a few reasons why exercise is a stress reliever.

Pumping Up Your Endorphins

Exercise, like Pilates, stimulates the production of endorphins in the brain. These are feel-good chemicals that are natural painkillers and mood elevators. The release of endorphins when we exercise is often referred to as the “runner’s high”, but you don’t need to run to get this. Any aerobic activity that gets our heart pumping will help prompt our bodies to increase the production of endorphins. This helps us to feel relaxed and gives us that buzzing sensation of wellbeing. Hence, exercise is promoted as a stress reliever.

Reducing Negative Effects of Stress

When we are under stress, our bodies produce hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Exercise reduces the levels of stress hormones in our body. It helps use up the nervous energy stored in our body due to stress and relieves subconscious tension in our muscles. In addition, while exercise helps reduce the negative effects of stress, it also teaches our bodies how to better handle stress. This is because exercise imitates the effects of stress — such as the flight or fight response. It helps our body and its systems practice working together through that response.

Creating Distraction with Exercise

Exercise creates distraction — it forces us to forget the mental stressors in our heads and instead to focus on our body. For many people, exercise provides a type of meditation in motion. Why? Because when we focus solely on the body’s movements and getting through a workout it means we naturally worry less about other tasks or deadlines. So, whether it’s a few laps in the pool, a long walk, or a Pilates class, exercise provides a distraction that can help to keep us mentally healthy too. 

 Promoting Better Sleep

Stress frequently disrupts our sleep. Worrying about the different stressors in our lives, we often find ourselves tossing and turning during the night. Instead of feeling refreshed, we wake up exhausted and less able to deal with new stressors that pop up. Exercise though helps promote better sleep because the body is more physically exhausted at the end of the day, and hence can again be considered a stress reliever. Going to bed feeling not just mentally tired, but also physically tired means we are less likely to lie awake at night with the day’s events buzzing in our brain. Getting a good night’s sleep then helps us to wake up feeling more clear-headed, energised, and better able to handle new stressors during the day.

Easing Stress with Pilates

Stress is a normal part of life. But finding ways to effectively deal with stress is important so that we can be well, stay well and live a happy life. Reformer Pilates, as with any form of exercise, can help you to unwind and ease the impacts of stress. Discover the power of Pilates as a stress-busting strategy. Talk to us at Reform Studios about making Pilates part of your regular exercise routine.

Don’t miss our other blogs, like “Taking a ‘Time Out’: Why it is Important?” and “Exercise and Keeping Fit After 50“.