Being stressed out, and bombarding our bodies with stress signals, can have a detrimental effect on our health.  Stress has been known to lead to health issues like heart problems, excess weight, stomach and digestive problems. Exercise can help us combat this unnecessary effects of daily stress.  Here’s a look at the best type of exercise you can get to feel more relaxed by the end of the day:

Ø  Increase your cardio:

Cardio, or aerobic exercise, is the kind of exercise that gets your heart going and increases your breathing rate.  Cardio includes, running, biking, and swimming.  Cardio has been shown to clear stress hormones, relieve anxiety and positively affect sleep. The body compensates for the physical exertion of a cardio workout by spending more time in deeper, and sounder sleep to recover.  

Ø  Exercise after work:

Clearly this is the most difficult time of the day to get motivated, after an early rise and a whole day at work or shopping for other people.  Exercising at this time however, can give you a surge of energy during a time you would typically be most lazy and use up unspent energy to get you prepped for a deeper sleep later at night.   Research has also shown that exercise after work increases the body temperature, allowing it to regulate down to the perfect temperature to make you sleepy before bed.   

Ø  Increase your daily activity:

Stress can come in many forms, and sometimes even though we are running around it doesn’t mean we are expending the right kind of energy. Increasing activity doesn’t necessarily mean hitting the gym.  There are easy ways to get more active in your daily routine, and use up excess energy that could be keeping you awake in bed at night.  Stretching during the day, walking to or from work, or using the stairs instead of the elevator might be all you need to see some positive changes in your stress levels and sleep patterns.  

Ø  Try some yoga before bed:

Certain resting or inversion yoga poses can relieve muscle tension throughout the body and release stress for better sleep.  These soothing exercises are especially conducive to relaxation and sleep when done at night or in bed before checking out for the night.  Focusing on deep breathing, trying some seated or standing forward bends, or a simple corpse pose can combat restlessness and ease you into better sleep.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of regular exercise:

• More restful, beneficial sleep
• Improved nutritional health
• Improved body composition
• Enhanced resistance to colds and other infectious diseases
• Makes daily activities easier
• Lower incidence and severity of anxiety and depression
• Better posture and self-image