Exercise to suit your mood

Exercises to Suit Your MoodYour emotions play a huge part when you’re exercising. Think about it; have you ever done a strenuous boxing session to release stress? Or completed a really fulfilling run because you felt happy? To get the most out of your workout start to listen to your body and match your workout to your mood.

Angry

Some people may need to expel anger through hard and intense workouts such as boxing, whilst others need time to chill and regain mental clarity by doing yoga, Pilates or even a power walk to clear the mind. Choose which one works best for you.

Stressed

Your Cortisol levels will be through the roof in a stressed state, and it’s this that makes you pump out insulin and hold fat. To help balance your levels, calm down through focused-training such as yoga and Pilates, or swimming and gentle jogs. Don’t push yourself when you’re stressed, as this will only make your Cortisol volume higher.

Happy

This is the best state of mind for your workout as you will put 100 per cent into it and feel even better afterwards. Go for a run, have a strenuous HIIT session or try something completely new!

Sad

Walk, a gentle jog, cycling or swimming can raise your endorphins enough to bring you back to your happy place. Remember, exercise boosts your mood, so don’t curl up on the sofa – get up and about to make yourself feel better.

Neutral

This is exercise utopia. You’re completely focused so any workout will fit when you’re in this mood. Weight training, Aerobics, spinning, running… pick your favourite and get started!