Researches have proven and acknowledged evidence that exercise and workout can remarkably reduce psychological stress.
Move over HIIT and check out this list of low impact workouts as they have minimum chances of injury and don’t leave you feeling drained and sweaty.
Be it a daily-wager, a student, a homemaker or a working professional, everyone has experienced stress and felt it lead to a reduced quality of life, detrimental effects on health and lowered productivity. Researches have proven and acknowledged evidence that exercise and workout can remarkably reduce psychological stress hence, move over HIIT and check out this list of low impact workouts that we have curated as they have minimum chances of injury and don’t leave you feeling drained and sweaty.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Gaurav Bansal, Health Coach at MyHealthBuddy, shared, “Walking is the best low impact workout! It has a plethora of benefits but unfortunately, very underrated as many people find it boring. What are some of the PRO’s of walking? Well, you can do it at any time of the day. You can walk during your work calls; you can walk to the mall instead of taking the car or you can even take the stairs at work instead of the elevator…the options are endless! As we like to say, “walk and talk!” To add to that, walking requires no special training or medical checks (for the most part). The chances of an injury is little to none.”
He added, “It’s recommended by medical practitioners for many medical conditions. It also gives you an opportunity to get out of the house, get some fresh air, meet and converse with people. Walking has been shown to reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) instantly making you feel rejuvenated and fresh. Reduced cortisol levels also promote fat loss, better sleep and elevated moods.”
When starting an exercise regime, most people tend to look upon the internet for the workout programs of their favourite athlete or a celebrity that they may look up to. Vishnu Venugopal, Co-founder and Project Head at Alpha Coach, revealed, “Sometimes, looking at these programs you may get an impression that you need to run, jump, or do other explosives, to challenge yourself and get results. Explosive movements and high-impact movements are great, but are these programs the right fit for you? Beginners, older folks and anyone who is returning to exercise after a long break should start their exercise regime with low impact movements. Even more so if you have knee pain or lower back pain.”
He suggested, “Movements like jumping jacks, burpees, box jumps, squat jacks, running, side to side plyo lunges, etc are high-impact movements that we commonly see in programs on the internet. There is a time and place for these movements, but if you are a beginner or if you have joint pains, it may not be the right time to do these exercises.” He recommended a low-impact simple exercise program that you can start from home with no equipment and suggested that if you are a beginner/intermediate trainee who can do a squat down to a chair without pain but can’t do a lunge or any single leg movement without pain, you will be the right person to try out this program.
Day 1
Round 1 Mobility Drills
- Straight Leg Swings X 10 reps X 1 set
- Side Leg Swings X 10 reps X 1 set
- Shoulder rotations X 10 reps X 1 set
- Hip Circles X 10 reps X 1 set
Round 2
- Box Squat X 8-10 reps X 3 sets
- Incline Push-Ups X 8-10 Reps X 3 sets
Round 3
- Glute Bridge X 12-15 reps X 3 sets
- Prone Y raises X 8-10 reps X 3 sets
Round 4
- Backpack Rows X 12-15 reps X 3 sets
- Standing Calf Raises X 12 -15 reps X 3 sets
Round 5 – Stretching
- Back Stretch X 20 second hold X 1 set
- Quadriceps Stretch X 20 second hold X 1 set
- Glute Stretch X 20 second hold X 1 set
- Chest Stretch X 20 second hold X 1 set
Day 2
Round 1 – Mobility Drills
- Straight Leg Swings X 10 reps X 1 set
- Side Leg Swings X 10 reps X 1 set
- Band Face Pulls X 10 reps X 1 set
- Hip Circles X 10 reps X 1 set
Round 2
- Supported Reverse Lunges X 8-10 reps X 2 sets
- Banded Rows X 12-15 Reps X 3 sets
Round 3
- Feet Elevated Glute Bridge X 12-15 reps X 3 sets
- T-spine rotation on the floor X 6-8 reps X 3 sets
Round 4
- Inverted rows X 8-10 reps X 3 sets
- Band tricep pushdowns X 12 -15 reps X 3 sets
Round 5 – Stretching
- Back Stretch X 20 second hold X 1 set
- Quadriceps Stretch X 20 second hold X 1 set
- Hamstring Stretch X 20 second hold X 1 set
- Chest Stretch X 20 second hold X 1 set
Understanding why people don’t want to work out or don’t feel the ‘push’ sometimes, Fitness Coach Kriti Taneja shared, “Most people run away from exercising because of the notion of difficulty that surrounds it. With the diversification in workout programs, we think HIIT or high-intensity workouts are the only way to go because of the mindset to do more in lesser time. However, in my opinion, moderate-intensity exercises, which have a very low impact on your body, are just as good as HIIT. A simple 30-minute walk or lightweight training session would also allow one’s body to release endorphins that reduce the stress in the body.”
She listed some sample exercises which can be done at any point in time and anywhere in the comfort of your home or even at the gym with a trainer and would have you feeling good at the end of a long stressful day. These include:
1. Squats
2. Glute bridge
3. Wall push-ups
4. Stair climbing
5. Dead bugs
She advised, “One can do a few other exercises in combination with the exercises mentioned above, but the key is to start slow and do simpler exercises and gradually move on to the advanced movements then.”
Adding to the list of best low-impact workouts to manage stress that can be applied in all situations, Vansh Chhabra, Senior Nutritionist at Wellversed, revealed:
1. AEROBICS: By term definition, aerobics means “with oxygen” and any form of cardiovascular conditioning is generally classified as aerobic exercise. Mood-enhancing effects of aerobics have been scientifically proven in the form of low-to-moderate workouts. Activities like rope skipping, brisk walking, jogging, swimming, running, dancing, Zumba and cycling are different forms of the same umbrella “aerobics” and the entire body comes into play. Aerobics can be performed for an extended period of time as it generally is out of interest and love for the activity while music acts as quick ignition fuel that loosens the stress and distracts the mind while putting the body into movement. Any form of aerobics performed consistently over a span of time boosts the mind and balances the hormonal distress leading to stress by overcoming the placebo.
2. YOGA: Stress induces a state of physical and mental distress. However, the mind and body are inextricably linked i.e. A calm mind would mean relaxed muscles and vice-versa. Practised for over thousands of years, Yoga is an art of striking a balance between mind-body. Noteworthy impacts of yoga include relaxed mind & body, greater muscle strength, improved flexibility, blood circulation, oxygen uptake, and hormone function and a stabilised autonomic nervous system response through physical postures and breathing exercises. It holistically encapsulates your mind and body by making you more resilient to any form of psychological stress. Indulging in yoga for 30-45 minutes daily can have a significant impact on your overall health.
3. MEDITATION: Higher levels of the hormone “Cortisol” (stress induced hormone) can be significantly lowered by calming the mind and lowering the oxidative psychological stress. Soft music, peaceful environment, comfortable posture can remarkably lower hormonal distress and impart emotional stability to better manage the trigger points leading to distress. It improves concentration which enables the mind to focus on a particular stimulus.
4. TAI-CHI is the form of workout that focuses on highly concentrated repetitive moments and elements. It raises the concentration and focus while significantly reducing anxiety, anger, confusion and stress.
Any form of workout or activity performed needs to be pleasing and enjoyable to the individual. In order to manage stress every individual needs to funnel down their interests and preferences and religiously aim at leading a better, happy and cheerful lifestyle.
Stress is a universal effect and might not also come with bad or severe consequences. However, it is crucial to understand that exercise and workout is not the only way for stress management and sometimes, additional assistance might be needed like a professional counsellor or psychologist in cases of people dealing with chronic stress.
Leave a Reply