By Jeff Yurek, BScPhm

Anxiety, a feeling of fear or worry over what might happen, affects people in varying degrees. A home workout is one way to ease feelings of anxiety and, simultaneously, boost your mood and improve your overall health.

Tips for your home workout:

• Increase your cardio.

Anxiety can increase your heart rate and breathing. Cardio exercises help to lower your resting heart rate and train you to breathe properly.

• Get equipped.

A good pair of running shoes and a yoga mat along with other equipment, such as kettlebells, dumbbells, and resistance bands, aid in increasing the muscle burn while working out.

• Be consistent.

Start out exercising for short intervals every day. Consistency helps when establishing a new habit while slowly building endurance.

• Practice good form.

Maintain good posture, centre your weight, breathe evenly, and keep your core engaged. This lessens the chance of injuries and derives the most benefits from the exercises.

• Hydrate well.

Drink some water before working out, only take small sips during your workout and aim to drink eight glasses of water daily.

• Try yoga.

It helps to reduce stress by focussing your mind on deep slow breaths and lowering your heart rate.

• Listen to your body.

Don’t compare your progress to others and remember your body needs downtime to recover from workouts and to rebuild muscle.

Over time, exercise helps manage anxiety by decreasing your stress response and improving your overall health and mood!