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Anxiety And Exercise
Blog | November 16, 2018
My mindset in my younger years is different than how it is today. First of all, back then I thought that when I’d turn older, I’d be ancient, but also very wise, calm and s hundred times more confident and totally worry-free. While I don’t feel ancient, I’m not as stress-free as I thought I’d be.
Stress and anxiety are normal parts of life, just like joy and happiness. The world is full of opposites, which I believe are necessary to create balance and also meaning. What would happiness mean to you if you never experienced sadness, stress, anxiety, or any other negative emotion? Negative emotions are not necessarily bad. They guide us, teach us and protect us. You can learn a lot about yourself from your negative emotions… however, they can become a problem if they persist, creating a negative emotional imbalance resulting in stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic anxiety disorders.
I had gone through major anxiety after I turned 30 and sought out professional help for the first time in my life. Anxiety can be triggered by numerous factors and combinations including:
- Genetics
- Brain Chemistry
- Substance Abuse
- Lack of Movement/ Activity
- Medical Issues
However, it’s common for stress to build up as a result of simply getting older. It gets made up of major life changes, losses, and health problems. In my case, it was just a stress build up over time by going through major changes like divorce, moving from country to country, loss of my blog, starting a new blog, change of work environment, and starting a new relationship.
Now I see the benefits of talking to someone who can help to sort things out in your head and work through your emotions. Personally, I am strongly against taking medications for depression and anxiety, even though I know people who had a good experience with them. I am not saying that medications are bad. My belief is that they would be bad for me. I have always been cheerful and positive minded person and I would feel like I am taking the cheap way out instead of facing the challenge and coping with it in a healthy and natural way.
There is no doubt that exercise has healing effects on anxiety and depression. Besides talking to my therapist every once in a while, exercise has been the number one go-to coping strategy for me. It has not been always easy to get myself motivated to exercise, especially when I’m feeling down, but once I get started, it always makes a huge difference. I get my mood elevated immediately after a few minutes into my training and feel amazing for hours afterward. The best benefits come from intense exercises that burn away stress hormones such as cortisol while improving the release of endorphins and neurotransmitters in the brain.
So the next time you’re dealing with the blues, or need to get over a funk, try kicking your butt with a short and sweet training session. Even a brisk walk outside can help. For further guidance and structure in your routine, consider signing up for the ZGYM.
Talking more often about exercise and the positive effects it has on anxiety is something I really want to do more on my blog, because anxiety and depression is something that has affected me, people that I am close to, and millions of Americans.
Share your insight, stories, advice, and opinions in the comments below. Looking forward to reading them.
Best,
Zuzka.
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Private Member |
I wouldn’t be depressed if I had your body :/…if I had your body my life would be complete.
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I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to lose BodyRock, which you built up from nothing. Not that this makes it all better, but in my opinion your new site is MUCH better! With big change comes big improvement!
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Thank you so much for addressing the psychological benefits of regular exercise. Medication for my anxiety disorder worked really well for me but no one told me that eventually the medication would STOP WORKING and now the withdrawl symptoms are worse than the disorder. I now go to the gym every day to get my endorphin fix. If I am in a mood I stay on the bike or do some HIIT until I feel better (takes 20 minutes). Thanks for your hard work on this site and for making the videos…awesome.
Private Member |
Thanks for a great post, Zuzana. You’re obviously very strong mentally. Personally, when I see your smiling face on the screen, I smile too. And no one ever except your close people realizes that you may be unhappy in the moment. Just don’t forget we love you)
Private Member |
Thank you Zuzana, just a short reflection I just turned 60 and understand very well anxiety. It took me a long time to realize my worth in life. You are a very beautiful person and were created for a purpose. It seems obvious to me that your life is beginning to take on a great shape. More important then your physical exercising is in working towards a disposition of giving of yourself to someone you love dearly. I am so happy that you have met someone again in your life where you will find that deep happiness. If there is something I can offer you is that achieving happiness comes from exercising your depth of relationship without fear and in that giving of yourself, there is where happiness shines in its beauty. Enjoy your 31st year of life, you have great purpose, a tremendous beauty, a relationship and many friends that support you. beginning to take shapeMore important then your physical exersise is your
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Sharing your anxiety story took a lot of courage and it also shows that you don’t have a perfect or easy life. Most people look at other people that are really in shape and they imagine that everything is perfect in their lives and that they don’t have obstacles that block their fitness goals. Your story shows that you are just like us, you have issues, obstacles, stress and still you find the strength to push on and do your workouts and eat well. That means that we can all do it, if we struggle and take the positive approach. Thank you for sharing Zuzka, your imperfections and vulnerabilities are, in my eyes, the facet of you that makes you someone that really motivates me. If you can do it, so can I!
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Every bit is true! Even when Im feeling lethargic or just down, the exercise instantly boosts my mood..its the cure all..I LOVE ZWOWS…thank you for all you do!!! TRUE inspiration!
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I started a BGR relationship at a very young age of 14 yrs old. Back then it was the cool thing to do and i didn’t thought about it carefully. As years passed by, i faced many disappointments from my other partner. “MIA”(missing in action) behavior, talking to opposite sex friends more than talking to me, avoiding conversations and eye contact. There were many suspicious , assumptions.
Feelings such as abandonment, low self esteem came to me as i couldn’t get any explanation from the other side. I doubted myself… feeling that i am a lousy person and nobody wants me.
Soon, i began to feel sudden increase in appetite because that is the only happiness and satisfactions i could get.
Loaded myself with tea breaks such as butter bread, milk tea with sugar, cheese pasta etc. Now, I wasn’t a fat girl , i am just skinny “FAT” . That made me even more ashamed of myself with jingly fats all around my body.
My anxiety got worst , facing a possible break up , struggling with school work and my body image. I cried to bed almost every night.
It got so bad that i go into panic mode around 1-5 times a day and …. honestly it was sooooo tiring…. After every single attack, i felt like i ran a marathon. I breathe like i was gasping for air as if i was having an asthma attack!
My personal family doctor referred me to a psychiatrist and was diagnose with anxiety and severe depression.
However, i was not recommended for medication as i still have some of the positive mindset traits that i always had before everything goes down. I also strongly believed that medication is not an good option unless u really cannot control yourself.
My psychiatrist recommended exercising for relief my stress and anxiety. Hence, i started out running and dieting… but it didn’t work because i know nuts about workouts and diet.
I even thought that starchy carbs such as rice and bread is good for diet because it is healthier.
After much praying and sharing with my psychiatrist.. i got much better but still having some anxiety attacks to handle once in a while ( once per week , but i would not gasped or going to faint )
Finally i broke up with my long time boyfriend and decided it is time to shape up my body and look good!
I tried many different workouts such as tiffany rothes, Jillian michaels and yes it works! I am happier and i lost 4 inches from my waist and few inches around my body. I gained confidence bit by bit.
Then i found out about Zuzka workouts and yes her workouts are not easy at all but through her workouts, i realized and felt new strength that i never thought i could have before. I got even more confident about myself and people around me praise of my good body figure.
I worked hard , deserve it and proud of it. Thank you Zuzka! I am also trying my best to give diet and workout tips that i got from all the workouts i done to the friends around me, helping them gain confidence and good health like how Zuzka and other trainers did.
So! look at the people who had good body figure by working out, they were probably like who you are now, sunken into the deep ocean and unable to swim up. That is where you get the strongest will to change your situation. Swim up and fight for your life!
Don’t waste time. DO IT FOR YOURSELF.
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Thank you for writing about this important issue!
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Love this girl