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| Study after study has shown that exercise and mood are linked. Whether you need to wake up, chill out or cheer up, the answer is the same: Get moving! Here are three common mood maladies and the exercises to help banish them.
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Feeling Low
Almost any physical activity can help produce endorphins — the chemicals in the brain that help bring about happy moods. The key is to get your brain and body in sync by doing exercises that make you forget your woes while stimulating your brain to make endorphins. Try these smile-producing moves:
- Turn on the stereo and dance. Self-conscious? Shut the blinds, crank up the stereo and just move. You can't stay blue when you're grooving.
- Get out the props: Hula-hooping, jump-roping and bouncing on a mini-trampoline all are great feel-good exercises.
Feeling Tired
When you're wiped out, you need to generate energy quickly. But you're exhausted, and motivation is in short supply. Try these low-intensity exercises:
- Grab a friend and take a walk. Your legs may be heavy at first, but you'll soon feel the energy start flowing. If you prefer to go it alone, bring headphones for some musical motivation.
- Warm up with good, old-fashioned calisthenics. Start in a push-up position with your knees bent. Do a push-up, lift up to a prone position, hop to your feet with your knees bent (so you're on all fours in a tuck position) and then jump straight up in the air, reaching toward the ceiling. When you land, lower back to the all-fours tuck, and then drop back to the prone position, bend your knees and do another push-up. After five or six, you'll be wide awake (and huffing and puffing!).
Feeling Tense
When you're wired, you need movements that will help you relax. Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi are all great choices. But you can keep it even simpler. Put on some soothing music and try these relaxation remedies:
- Lie on an exercise ball — first your back, then your stomach and then your sides — and stretch your muscles as you gently roll back and forth.
- Lie flat on your back with your legs stretched in front and your arms at your sides. Starting with your toes and working your way up, tighten each muscle group. Hold each for 10 seconds, and then release.
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