Exercise as a Way of Relieving Stress
We live in a world of constant distractions, over-stimulation and resultant anxiety. I have suffered from anxiety for many years. One way I have coped with this anxiety is through a counselor, reading self-help books and the like.
One of the self-books I bought mentioned exercise as the most effective way of relieving stress. Not only does exercising help you relieve stress, but it increases your overall health. Many people are also very overweight or obese in the world.
It is important to burn fat efficiently during and after a work out.I have some experience with this. What I learned from a book called the “Abs Diet” is that the more muscle mass you have, the more calories per day you burn – your metabolism is therefore higher and you burn fat more efficiently in your work outs.
I also learned that doing excessive cardio (more than 30 minutes of running) can actually burn muscle mass once your body goes into a certain mode. I have been on a routine that has helped me feel more energized, lose weight, and decrease my overall anxiety. What I do is I will jog to the gym (10 minutes away from me). My heart-rate will be elevated so I will not only burn fat and calories, but rip apart muscles so they can heal better. After I am done with the work out (be it an arms, legs or chest/back, I will do some form of cardio like swimming or jogging back to my apartment.
I also play tennis from time to time on the days I do not lift weights. I feel 200% better and I’m losing weight and feeling a lot healthier. A lot of my pre-diabetes symptoms are even going away. The more muscle we have the more efficiently we burn fat. So my goal is not to lift weights to become stronger but to lift weights to burn fat and be healthier, even though big muscles are a aesthetically pleasant side effect.