How to Manage Stress
Everyone gets stressed from time to time. It’s a natural part of life but chronic stress that lasts over days, weeks and even months can become problematic for your mental and physical health. So, here’s how our four pillars of wellness - exercise, nutrition, recovery and community - can help.
Key takeaways:
Exercise, nutrition, recovery and community are all stress relief tools
Stress is natural but chronic stress can lead to health problems
Certain types of movement done consistently helps reduce your cortisol while also boosting serotonin and dopamine
What is stress?
Stress is our body’s natural response to situations and activities that feel like a challenge, feel like they have high stakes or are slightly worrying. It’s also known as our ‘fight-or-flight response’.
When you feel stressed, your cortisol levels spike. Stress is natural so this spike in cortisol is safe when it’s temporary and can even sometimes be helpful. But when you become chronically stressed, your cortisol levels stay high which can result in longer-term challenges like anxiety, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system.
Signs of stress
Stress is a natural part of life and not always something that feels negative. When you’re dealing with short-term stress, like time pressures in a HYROX competition, you may have symptoms like:
Increased concentration and focus
More energy
A quicker heart rate
Increased levels of adrenaline
These stress symptoms are temporary and will stop when you change activity. However, chronic stress carries different symptoms, including:
Exhaustion
Headaches
High blood pressure
Poor digestion
Chest pain
Body aches
A weakened immune system
Regular illnesses
Panic attacks
Depression and anxiety
Increased abdominal fat storage
Increased cravings for high sugar foods
Low sex drive
Menstrual irregularities
Why do we get stressed?
Stress is designed to give us the resources we need to get through challenging situations. No matter what it is that spikes our fight-or-flight response, stress is only designed to be beneficial when it’s temporary. That means constant high-stress situations put a lot of pressure on our bodies.
That’s why stress relief is so important. It helps to regulate your nervous system and bring you into balance. And, let’s face it, it just makes you enjoy life more. No one deserves to be stressed all the time.
How exercise helps stress
Whatever way you like to move, exercise helps when it comes to stress. Whether that’s releasing feel-good neurotransmitters into your system or improving some of the symptoms listed above.
One of the biggest benefits of exercise is that it helps to flood your body with endorphins. These positive neurotransmitters help us feel our best and have often been dubbed ‘happy hormones’.
As well as increasing the volume of neurotransmitters in our system, certain types of exercise also helps to decrease our levels of cortisol - the main stress hormone - and adrenaline. Exercise can also reduce negative effects of stress like high resting heart rate, elevated blood pressure and a weakened immune system. Low to moderate intensity exercise, done consistently, is more strongly associated with reducing cortisol. This would include cycling, yoga, pilates, light strength training and walking. Our in-club Personal Trainers can support you with the right exercise so you can feel your best.
While your body is busy with all of that, you may also find that your mind is distracted. You’re thinking less about your worries and more about what you’re doing right now - and how it feels to move in your body today.
And finally, exercise can also lead to other positive side effects like improved confidence and self-esteem.
How nutrition helps stress
If our gut is called our ‘second brain’, then what we eat is one of the most important things that we can do for stress relief. If we don’t eat the rainbow or make choices that are healthy for our bodies, not only will we feel sluggish but we’ll also not be supporting our gut health and the good probiotic bacteria that live in there.
Anti-inflammatory foods like oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and lean meats help to stabilise our blood sugar and reduce inflammation related to stress, while fermented foods like kefir milk, yoghurt and sauerkraut can support our overall gut bacteria. Complex carbohydrates, omega-3, antioxidants, magnesium and B vitamins are all important for your mental health by helping to produce dopamine and serotonin as well as stabilising our energy to prevent slumps.
Looking for individual support? Book your free nutrition taster session with one of our in-club Personal Trainers.
How recovery helps stress
Recovery is so important for both our physical and mental health - and yet it’s something that a lot of us don’t prioritise enough. While recovery and resting can feel like we’re not doing anything, a lot of work is happening inside our bodies during this time.
In periods of rest and recovery, your body is repairing damage done by physical stress as well as working to process events mentally and lowering stress hormones, like cortisol.
Resting and recovery takes us out of the fight-or-flight phase and into the rest-and-digest phase instead. This restores balance in our bodies so that we feel calm and less anxious.
So how do you recover? Light stretching sessions with Hyperice recovery kit, unwinding in the spa, a Reformer Recovery, Yoga Calm or Sound Bath class are all great options. You could even try our Contrast Therapy classes, specifically designed to aid recovery.
How community helps stress
It’s no secret that spending time with people we love or those who have the same interests as us can help us feel happier. Chatting with others gives you a support system – a problem shared is a problem halved. And friends can also help give you a sense of belonging, purpose or help you look at things in a different light. Going it alone can feel tough but being with others can change your outlook completely.
Why not try working in our co-working spaces, or try any of our group exercises classes where you can work out with like-minded members.
Not yet a member? Find your nearest club and start your membership today.
FAQs
What is stress?
Stress is our body’s natural response to situations that feel challenging. It’s also known as your fight-or-flight response. While temporary stress is normal, chronic stress can leave you with high heart rate, high blood pressure, aches, depression and panic attacks.
What are symptoms of high cortisol?
High cortisol can be caused by chronic stress and symptoms include: weight gain, muscle weakness and high blood pressure.
What are the signs of burnout?
Burnout is the result of unmanaged chronic stress and signs that you may be struggling with burnout include: feeling constantly tired, not being able to get good sleep, feeling like you have no purpose, changes in your appetite, feeling more irritable and withdrawing from social situations.
How do I destress?
The best way to destress is to follow the four wellness pillars: exercise regularly, eat well, prioritise recovery and spend time with your community.
When is Stress Awareness Month?
National Stress Awareness Month happens every April.
