How to Exercise for Less Stress—Not More

Are you ever frustrated with not getting the results you want -- or getting signals from your body that you need to change something--but you're not sure what those signals mean or what you need to change?

Exercise is one of those activities that can be tricky to sort through if you don't know how to read the signs. 

I think it's really important for people, especially women, to hear.  Molly's story serves as another reminder of why it's so important to be aware of and listening to your body!

Here's Molly's story and a tips that you can put into action right away!

Have you ever felt like you're doing everything right - eating healthy, working out daily, going to therapy - yet still feel exhausted, anxious, or stuck?

That’s pretty much what happened to me. I did all of the "healthy" habits, and it seemed like the harder I worked, the more I experienced anxiety, bloating, insomnia, and weight gain.

The worse I felt, the more I pushed. And the more I pushed, the worse I felt.

After silently suffering in that horrible cycle for years, I discovered that:

- Not all exercise is good stress.

- Not all diets will help you lose weight.

- And not all anxiety is caused by your thoughts.

The truth is, some "healthy" habits may add to your stress level rather than reduce it. 

Today, I want to teach you how to adjust your workouts and lifestyle to support your stress and hormones rather than fight against them.

I want you to learn from my mistakes. So, let me properly set the scene.
I was in my mid-20s, and I was eating ridiculously “healthy.” I restricted my calories and prioritized protein.

You could find me in the gym everyday, for multiple hours, doing a mix of HIIT, heavy weight lifting and power yoga. I walked over 10k steps a day and was super active outside of my workouts. I should have been in the best shape of my life. But I wasn’t. 

I looked 6 months pregnant every night due to my bloating, the scale was going up instead of down, and I was having several panic attacks a day. I also had severe insomnia, a weak immune system and migraines. All of which are things that didn’t make sense based on my “healthy” lifestyle.

What I didn’t realize then is that my body was crying out for help. All of those annoying symptoms were messages. But, I wasn’t reading them.  I wasn’t aware that I was exercising in excess, doing the wrong types of workouts, restricting my calories too much, and that the stress from doing all of that was keeping me stuck.

You see, exercise is a form of stress. If you're already stressed, intense workouts (or too much exercise) can push your body further into survival mode, increasing cortisol and making fat loss, recovery, and energy worse. Eating too little does the same thing. Your metabolism slows down to match how you are feeding it.

Many women fall into this trap, thinking they need to "push harder," when their body is actually begging for a different approach.

So, what is that other approach?

Here are four shifts I want you to make so that exercise can lower your stress, instead of adding to it.

Shift #1: Check in with your body
Before your workout, ask yourself “do I feel energized, or am I running on fumes?”

Then, adjust your planned workout based on the answer. If you’re exhausted, a high-intensity session might not be the best choice for the day.
If it’s overwhelming your body, that killer workout may be hurting you more than helping you.

Shift #2: Balance your workouts across the week
A lot of us have the mentality that if our workouts aren’t the hardest thing we can handle, then they aren’t worth it. But, that’s not true!

You don’t need to lift as heavy as possible or do the most intense cardio everyday. Instead, incorporate strength (using heavy and light weights), mobility, low impact cardio and recovery-based movement into your weekly routine. Aim for a variety of movement modalities and a balanced schedule.

Shift #3: Train your nervous system, not just your muscles
The nervous system plays a huge role in stress recovery. And your stress plays a huge role in how you look and feel. So, I want you to consider how you are treating your nervous system in your workout.

Breath intentionally throughout your workout by connecting your inhales and exhales to specific movements. Then carve out time at the end of your workout to calm your sympathetic nervous system. Taking a few minutes to stretch and lie down on your back with your eyes closed (in yoga this is called Savasana) is a really good place to start.

Shift #4: Redefine progress
Stop worrying about how many calories you burnt during your workout or how heavy the weights you picked up were, and start examining how you feel after your workouts. A successful workout should leave you feeling energized, not depleted.
***
Okay, so what have we learned here? Exercise should make you feel better, not worse. And, the goal isn’t just to "do more" but to move in a way that supports your body’s needs.

I’d love to know: Which shift you can make this week to train in a way that lowers your stress?

If you want to experience what it feels like to train in a way that actually supports your stress and hormones, try doing this simple nervous system regulation video this week. Do it after your workout or first thing upon waking. It’s the first step to getting you to have better energy, better recovery, and better results.

Want to learn more from Molly? 
If you want to experience what it feels like to train in a way that actually supports your stress and hormones, try doing this simple nervous system regulation video this week. Do it after your workout or first thing upon waking. It’s the first step to getting you to have better energy, better recovery, and better results.

To connect with Molly, follow her on Instagram or book a free strategy call.

Molly McNamee is an LA-based personal trainer who teaches her clients how to make health and fitness a normal part of their life, instead of a stressful thing they can’t keep up with.  Her mission is to help people feel confident and strong while working out at home.

Thanks to Molly for sharing her eye-opening story and for her valuable guidance on how to tune into your body to make exercise a stress-reducing activity!