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Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and Other Exercises for Your Best Mood

Stress is something in my life that I work on reducing constantly. Exercise is one of the best ways to lessen stress—but let’s face it, sometimes you just don’t want to leave the house.

In an effort to maintain my good mood and positive thinking, I recently took A Yoga class, and it exceeded my expectations. I felt great afterwards, so I wanted to share some other exercises that you can do to shed stress right away, anywhere you are.
 

• Pilates - While yoga is thousands of years old, Pilates was only developed in 1920. The intense breathing and meditation will be sure to get that stressful meeting off your mind for a few minutes. Plus, with mat, machine, and lots of natural exercises you won’t get bored. If you want to get started right away, here are some great beginner videos from About.com.

• Tai Chi – This ancient Chinese martial art has been helping people stay calm and balanced since the 1820’s. According to the Mayo Clinic, Tai Chi has been shown to reduce stress, increase stamina and increase flexibility.  Like Pilates, Tai Chi is great for people needing a low impact workout. A class may be the best way to start, but if you want to practice your moves and balance, here is Stanford’s site showing all 12 movements.

• Work Out the Kinks - Reader’s Digest put together a great list of 5 ways to give yourself a massage. According to the article, not only did workers reduce their stress with these techniques, they boosted their performance as well. My favorite? Using a tennis ball to massage my feet. Remember to hold on to a wall so you don’t end up face down. That would be stressful.

• Office Exercise - Just because you are at work doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Try walking just a little faster to that meeting, stretching at the copy machine or doing a few chair squats. I like to take a quick walk at lunch— it keeps me sane on those hectic days.

Most of these exercises are the sort of thing that anyone can do just about anywhere. So stop making excuses for not having the time or the place to do exercise. You’ll find yourself in a better mood, and feel healthier in a great natural way.

How about you? What are some of the ways you find to squeeze in a bit of exercise on those busy days?  Let me know in the comments.