Who hasn’t been in a bad mood? Just about nobody. Maybe you’re stressed, bored, lonely, angry, sad, anxious, or just tired. While the ideal thing to do is to exercise when a bad mood rises, most people turn to unhealthy habits like emotional eating or smoking.
Read: Blood Sugar Dangers: Do This Before You Work Out
The bad thing about this? Not only do you instigate an unhealthy cycle of overeating (or doing other unnhealthy things), gaining weight, feeling bad about your unhealthy lifestyle, making your mood worse, doing more bad things to make yourself feel better, and over, and over, and over again.
The great things about working out that mood? When you’re upset, stressed or otherwise not feeling ideal, exercise—and the mood-enhancing endorphins it produces—can be the best thing for you.
So, the next time you feel that mood coming on, identify what you’re feeling and why. Then use the specific ideas below to cure that bad mood with an exercise prescription.
Your mood: Angry
Knock it out with: Kickboxing, boxing, shadowboxing, or martial arts.Whether you follow a kickboxing video or take a group class, you’ll release anger with every punch, kick and jab. Imagine the target of your anger as you do a set of 12 front kicks! Besides getting your anger out you’ll blast calories with these cardio workouts. Any form of martial arts, often overlooked as a form of exercise, will also work. Besides actually making contact with pads, targets, and shields (a major stress and anger releaser!), you’ll gain gaining confidence, discipline, and focus.
Your mood: Bored
Knock it out with: Spinning class, step aerobics, or a new fitness DVDBeat boredom (without food) by taking a high-energy Spinning class at your local gym. Set to great tunes, you’ll be surprised how quickly an hourlong class flies by. Step aerobics is another great workout when you’re bored because it’s always changing. You have to concentrate on the choreography—sort of like learning a simple dance that involves a step. You’ll build skills and feel really accomplished when it’s over! Lastly, head to the library or video rental store and pick up the first workout DVD that looks interesting to you. Do it at home or invite a friend over to try your newest exercise venture!
Your mood: Lonely