5 Workouts Experts Recommend for Beating Stress, From Starting Yoga to Strength Training
Stress doesn’t just live in your head. It tightens muscles, disrupts sleep and chips away at mood, and the right movement can short-circuit all of it. Experts say one of the most reliable ways to calm the body’s stress response is already within reach: a regular workout, no fancy equipment required.
“Exercise is remarkably effective for managing psychological stress,” Dr. Karmel Choi, an assistant professor in the Center for Precision Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told CNN. “Exercise doesn’t remove what’s causing the stress, but it can boost mood, reduce tension and improve sleep — all of which are impacted by stress — and ultimately this can support people to approach their challenges in a more balanced way.”
Why Exercise Eases Stress
Stress is the body’s reaction to pressure, and left unchecked, it triggers a chemical cascade that affects everything from heart rate to immunity. Physical activity helps regulate those signals. Running, for example, keeps cortisol and adrenaline in check while releasing mood-lifting endorphins, according to the WebMD team.
You don’t need a gym membership or expensive gear to start. “Almost any form of exercise or movement can increase your fitness level while decreasing your stress,” the Mayo Clinic advises. “The most important thing is to pick an activity that you enjoy.”
The Best Workouts for Stress Relief, According to Experts
Five forms of movement come up again and again when health professionals talk about calming the nervous system.
Yoga. Jessica Rihal, a registered yoga teacher and meditation instructor based in Orange County, California, told SELF she leans on poses “in prone (belly down) or tabletop position” when stress hits. “Having my face down allows me to withdraw my senses, focus on breathing and help to promote relaxation,” she said. Her favorites include Child’s Pose, Cat-Cow, Thread the Needle, Hug the Earth and a reclined position with bolsters or legs up on the wall.
Running. Beyond the endorphin rush, running offers a mental reset. “Exercising in nature can improve your mood and provide a sense of overall calm and well-being,” said Ayesha Abdeen, MD, chief of hip and knee arthroplasty at Boston Medical Center. She also urges runners not to skip recovery: “Take the appropriate time to rest. That’s when the body heals and will manifest the benefits of exercise.”
Swimming. “Swimming has also been shown to reduce stress levels, improve negative emotional states, and even decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression, thanks to the meditative nature of rhythmic breathing and water’s soothing effect,” John Whyte, a practicing physician in Washington, D.C., and the chief medical officer at WebMD, said, per National Geographic. The cardiovascular payoff stacks up too: “Swimming is a whole-body rhythmic and dynamic activity that raises your heart rate and reduces your blood pressure effectively,” said Hirofumi Tanaka, director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin.
Tai chi. Aideen Turner, physical therapist and CEO of Virtual Physical Therapists, described tai chi as “a gentle way of moving and stretching,” per Better TODAY. “Positions flow into the next without a pause so that the body is in constant motion. It’s very low impact and causes minimal stress on muscles and joints.” Deep breathing, she said, is the engine of the practice.
Strength training. “Strength training isn’t just for muscled athletes trying to push a car. Strength training should be a key part of everyone’s physical fitness routine each week,” Dr. Andrew Brough said, per Penn Medicine. No barbells required. Brough suggests starting with 5-pound hand weights or canned goods and gradually working up to wall pushups, then floor pushups.
How to Build a Stress-Busting Fitness Routine
You don’t have to overhaul your week. Benjamin Snell, MD, a family medicine physician with Lancaster General Health Physicians Family Medicine Twin Rose, recommends weaving short bursts of strength work into things you already do. “Consider stopping along your run to do some push-ups on the ground, pausing on your walk to go from sitting to standing on a park bench 10 times, or even curling (lifting up) your bicycle with your arms along your bike route,” he said.
The mental health payoff is real. “There is strong evidence that exercise, including weight training, can help prevent and treat depression,” Snell said.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
