It’s been one of those days. You have a deadline coming up at work, the dishes are piling up and… Where is your dog? Has he been fed in the last two days? We’ve all been there.

If it seems like there just isn’t enough time in the day and you feel like you are losing your mind from the stress, it might be time to fit a good workout into your demanding schedule, if only to maintain your sanity.

What You Should Know

You’ve probably heard it before: Exercise is an amazing stress buster. How it works is pretty uncomplicated, however.

First of all, exercise increases your endorphin level. Do you remember what Elle Woods had to say about endorphins in Legally Blonde while defending her sorority sister in a murder investigation?

“I just don’t think that Brooke could’ve done this! Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”

Well there might be some truth to Ms. Woods’ words. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that are produced during exercise, excitement, and sex. The reason they feel good is because they resemble opiates that mask stress and pain, producing a feeling of satisfaction and contentment.

The Mayo Clinic also explains that “Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries.”

Next, exercise allows you time for meditation. Have you ever noticed that when you and your friends start a pick-up game of basketball, the office is the last thing on your mind? This is because exercise connects your mind on the movements of your body.

Instead of worrying about your boss or other responsibilities, you get to focus on breathing, motion, and fluidity of the amazing things that your body can accomplish.

Finally, exercise improved mood. This is because exercise has the effect of increasing self-confidence, which can counteract feelings of anxiety or depression. In addition to this, it also helps you to sleep more soundly and deeply at night. This is because your body is more worn out because of exertion, which allows your mind to clear, helping you to feel rejuvenated in the morning.

If you want to target specific activities that help with stress, this is a list of exercises that have the greatest potential for lowering stress levels.

Yoga

Because yoga is very focused on the mind/body connection, it is a fantastic stress-buster. When you begin doing yoga, you may find yourself thinking about responsibilities that you have, but by the end, you will find that your mind has cleared. Stretching, which is a big part of yoga, has been shown to reduce stress levels as well.

Dancing

Have you ever taken a Zumba class? Or even just had a personal dance party when your favorite song comes over the radio? If you have, you might have noticed that forgetting about your inhibitions and just moving your body to the rhythm of music was very therapeutic. This is because dancing is not a cerebral activity. In fact, if you think about what you are doing too much, you lose some of the benefits of dancing. Because of this, dancing is a great way to reduce stress.

Pilates

Like yoga, Pilates is an amazing stress-buster as well as an amazing workout. It focuses on building strength through body movements. Because of this, it is fantastic at reducing stress levels because a lot of the moves require complete concentration and don’t allow any room in your mind for outside distraction.

Running

Because running is so repetitive, your mind can wander to anything that you are worried about, allowing endorphins to help you work through problems you might be having in your life. Not only this, but the satisfaction that you feel at the end of a run will have you feeling like you can overcome anything in your life.