Dos & Don'ts for working out with anxiety

Should you be sweating the stress away? Maybe not.

If you have anxiety, you can't just do any workout program and feel good. Certain workouts may leave you with more anxiety. So let's break down what to do and what not to do so that you can feel your best physically and mentally.

? Don't skip your rest days

Every single workout spikes your nervous system a little bit. This is actually a good thing! This will train your body to better respond in *actual stressful moments.

However, it's possible to have too much of a good things.

If you don't let your body rest, your nervous system will get overwhelmed. You have to give it a break or that stress will build and build until you just feel anxious all the time.

? Do keep your workouts under 45-minutes

You want to stick to shorter workouts for all the same reasons listed above! Your nervous system will appreciate the shorter workout sessions.

20-40 minute long workouts is the sweat spot!

? Don't do long cardio sessions

Seeing a pattern here? Less is more!

Especially when it comes to traditional cardio that pushes your heart rate up pretty high.

If you are an endurance athlete with anxiety... this isn't me saying you can NEVER do endurance anymore. BUT, you may want to take a break for a while to reset your nervous system if you're currently feeling especially anxious.

? Do listen to your body

Your body will tell you if it's unhappy... you just have to listen.

If you are feeling tired, moody, having trouble focusing, snacking mindlessly... these are all signs that your nervous system is feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Bring down the intensity and do less when you feel these things. If you feel better after bringing down the intensity, you know you've done the right thing! (Because your body also tells you when it's happy)

? Don't do HIIT

Pushing your body to it's MAX is not a good idea for an anxious person. I encourage you to stick to a low to moderate intensity style of training. (Training this way is still super effective, don't worry!)

HIIT workouts cause your heart rate to SPIKE. Guess what else causes your heart rate to spike... a panic attack.

Working out at an extreme level will cause the body to build up stress, plus it may scare your body and trigger a panic attack.

No one wants that.

? Do stick to a moderate intensity

The best way to know if you are working out at a moderate intensity is by using something called "the talk test"

If you cannot speak more than a few words at a time while exercising, you are working at a high intensity. I want you to be able to speak in sentences. You shouldn't be breathing and talking easily, but you should be able to speak.

Please let me know in the comments which of these dos and don'ts surprised you the most! Is there a specific point you want me to expand on more?

And if you want to learn MORE about how to exercise as an anxious person, I'd like to give you this FREE Anxiety Toolkit: https://mollymcnamee.com/stress-freebie/

#AnxietyRelief #PanicAttack #FitnessCoach