How Exercise Can Make You More Mindful and Less Anxious

Almost everyone understands the physical benefits of exercising. It’s good for your cardiovascular health, it’s great for weight management, and it can lower your risk of developing various health conditions. But exercise has incredible mental health benefits, too. 

It’s a natural mood booster. Even just walking or jogging can increase your serotonin levels, making you feel happier and calmer. Plus, it gives you more energy, so you’ll feel less fatigued throughout the day. 

If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety or stress, exercise is even more beneficial. It can make you more mindful, so your worries and fears take a back seat instead of taking over your life. 

So how can you practice mindfulness while exercising and reap the rewards? Keep reading to find out.

Find Purpose in Your Workouts

You don’t have to do long, strenuous workouts to give each one a purpose. Even walking through your neighborhood can be a practice in mindfulness. Having a purpose for your workout, big or small, will help you to stay focused. You won’t have time to think about whatever might make you anxious because you’re working toward a goal. 

Your plan might include exercising for a certain amount of time, focusing on a specific muscle group, or challenging yourself in a specific way. When you have a plan and a purpose, you also have something within your control, which can greatly reduce anxiety. 

Focus On Your Body and Breathing

When many people think of mindfulness, an image of meditation comes to mind. One of the best ways to practice mindfulness indeed is to close your eyes, sit quietly, and focus on nothing but your breathing. But you can also practice effective mindfulness while you’re moving. 

When you’re exercising, it’s hard to ignore what your body is feeling. So try to really tap into that. Focus on the breaths you’re taking and the way your body feels with each movement. For example, how does your foot hit the pavement while you’re running? What do your muscles feel like when you’re lifting weights? 

No matter what type of exercise you do, you can find some part of your body to focus on. It will make you more in-tune with yourself and distract you from things that might typically cause you to worry. 

Make Exercise a Priority

Some people exercise because they feel they have to, or they try to rush through it as a part of their daily routine. When you take the time to remember why you’re exercising, you’ll be more mindful of what you’re doing. 

Think about how each workout will help you, and remind yourself of those benefits. For example, tell yourself that you’ll have more energy throughout your day or that you’re getting stronger. You can even remind yourself of how good exercising makes you feel, giving you more energy and reducing your stress levels.

These positive affirmations will make you more focused on your workout, so you’ll get more out of it. 

Force Yourself to Slow Down

There’s no denying the fact that we live in a fast-paced society. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by how busy each day can be. While you’re moving quite a bit when you’re exercising, it’s an opportunity to slow down and take a break from the chaos of the day. 

When you’re exercising, you’re not answering emails or thinking about work. You’re not concerned with your to-do list or being late for an event. Instead, it forces you to slow down and take a break from the other things you’re doing so you can focus solely on what your body is experiencing. 

You don’t have to be a fitness buff for exercise to make you more mindful and less anxious. Just get moving any way you can, and keep these tips in mind to help you along the way. 

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