Stress and Fitness Don't Go Hand In Hand

Stress and Fitness Don’t Go Hand In Hand

May 5, 2022
/ Fitness
/ By David B

Contents

1 Depletes Your Resources
2 Induces Anxiety
3 Makes Losing Weight More Difficult
4 Increases Muscle tension
5 Conclusion

We know that stress affects our emotional health but did you know that it also has a significant effect on our physical health and fitness. Long-term stress will impact the individual’s fitness goals and workout routine. Everyday worries like job problems, family issues, and social engagements are enough to cause stress and anxiety which can be hard to manage. The progress of the workout itself is hard when you are working out while stressed. Let’s take a look at how stress negatively affects our fitness.

Depletes Your Resources

Running a car on low fuel damages it, in the same way when you are running on limited resources because of stress, exercise can cause even more damage to the body. Stress can lead to a lack of sleep and lower testosterone production. Because of this, your energy is always at an all-time low. Testosterone is needed for muscle production and hence the lowering of it because of stress causes muscle weakness. Gastrointestinal pains and headaches are also common conditions associated with stress which can lead to depletion of your already low resources level.

Induces Anxiety

Stress is a major trigger for anxiety and people who have anxiety tend to be less active and find it difficult to do workouts. Ironically, exercise and physical activity are one of the best remedies for reducing anxiety. Chronic stress or long-term stress also leads to problematic coping mechanisms such as drinking, skipping meals, and insomnia which will worsen the anxiety even more.

Anti-anxiety supplements can help with such anxiety problems. There are certain anti-anxiety supplements that can help with anxiety and body strength both. The top 2 are rae destress and real chill, they both are effective and have proven benefits. You can do a rae destress vs real chill comparison and decide the most suitable one for you.

These supplements may also treat sleep problems and eating habits for a better-made body which the individual can achieve their fitness goals with. Anti-anxiety pills are a more holistic approach to health and overall fitness.

Makes Losing Weight More Difficult

When you experience a greater level of stress your cortisol levels are increased. The cortisol is responsible for getting you out of trouble by increasing blood sugar, and blood pressure, and controlling the immune reaction. When cortisol is increased, insulin production is also increased. This leads to sugar cravings and the packaging of extra pounds in the middle section of the body. Cortisols can also slow down metabolism by attacking muscle mass. The person can hit the gym as much as they want but the cortisol will diminish all their efforts. Hence, stress can be a major cause of weight gain.

Increases Muscle tension

Motor functions are affected by stress which increases the risk of injury. Stress also causes the reparability of the tissues and slows down recovery time. Long-term stress makes it hard for the body to deal with the breakdown and build-up of muscles that exercise causes.

Conclusion

If you are not feeling your 100% it is impossible to give your all to your fitness. Stress can reduce your energy, induce anxiety, stall recovery, and can lead to weight gain. Managing stress should be the first step that you take for your fitness. Yoga, pilates, walking, and other such gentle options should be considered for managing stress while also taking care of the fitness aspect.