Stress, now a common cause of heart disease and high blood pressure has been dubbed the ‘silent killer’ of today’s generation. However more than ever studies show that physical activities can act as medicine for psychological health and stress resistance. We spoke to Group Exercise instructor at Fitness First Andrea Giovannini to find out why.
Andrea takes us back to hard cold scientific fact and the science behind this is broken down into two simple mechanisms’; Physiological and Psychological.
Physiological mechanism is the physical activity of exercise and is down to a little something we call endorphins. Endorphins, produced by the nervous system work as an anti-depressant and raise pain resistance, giving us the feeling of wellness and euphoria. Endorphins are released each and every time we exercise creating a natural, long lasting satisfaction.
Psychological mechanism is where the mind comes in play. Doing a workout, especially a group training session like the many on offer at Fitness First, helps you to be distracted from anxiety driven thoughts, mental rumination and keep concentration exclusively focused on the fitness experience. The art of distraction is close to meditation as in the same way that you close your mind off to external thoughts applies to what happens during exercise.
Science aside, as we know too well happiness comes from within but it is important to allow this feeling to embrace your mind, body and soul. How you may ask? The secret is exercise!
Andrea Giovannini informs us that exercise is a key component with its fantastic social and wellness benefits. Being active allows you to meet new people who enjoy an active lifestyle, and many forms of exercise allow you to develop a physical body that improves your self-confidence, which can translate into several areas of your life. Andrea suggests Fitness First classes Body Pump, Cycle, Pilates and Dance as particularly good for strengthening social bonds and reducing stress. XFit is also an excellent way to combat stress and the social effects of this level of group exercise are overwhelming.
Group exercise as a whole accumulates feelings of being a part of something - a community, a team, a crew, a tribe. All these feelings have an immense effect on one’s wellbeing, overall happiness and stress reduction.
A closing statement for you to take away from our friends the Ancient Romans, “mens sana in corpore sano” healthy mind in healthy body.
Checkout Fitness First’s eclectic range of classes online: uae.fitnessfirstme.com/train-with-us. Make Fitness First your second home today and try your first class for free.