I just got back from what feels like my first moment of downtime after 48 hours of chaos. What a week it’s been and it’s only Wednesday. Tonight at Schreyer for Women we did group yoga and affirmations. It’s an understatement to say I desperately needed that precious hour of relaxation time. Now, after getting to move my body a bit (as if I don’t walk seven miles around campus in a day) and having a little relaxation time, I feel so much better. So, this week I want to talk about—you guessed it—yoga. Really though, any physical activity and especially physical activity in a group setting.
Image from How To Choose A Yoga Studio To Go To • Health blog (healthannotation.com)
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Physical activity stimulates many brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier, more relaxed and less anxious.” Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Not only is it shown to be scientifically effective, but it also helps take care of your physical health as well. In essence, two birds, one stone. When I was doing yoga tonight, my mind was finally able to step away from the stress of school this week. All I had to do was focus on inhaling and exhaling, pressing my arms up and lowering my arms down. In addition to producing chemicals to help you relax, physical activity provides a distraction to your mind that allows you to temporarily escape your worries.
Now, I know it’s pretty well known that physical activity can improve your mood through the release of various hormones. But what is perhaps less well known is the benefit of social interaction while exercising. At my meeting tonight, there was a group of 20 or so women all taking the time out of their busy schedules to relax and do some yoga. This feeling of community enhances the benefits that physical activity has to offer.
Image from 5 Ways Group Workouts Can Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals (hawaiipacifichealth.org)
According to a wellness article from NBC, working out in a group setting allows you to capitalize on endorphins, the hormone that makes you feel good from physical activity. When you have a supportive community around you, you’re likely to smile or laugh more over the course of the workout. Smiling is actually shown to release endorphins, which will energize you, make you happier, make you smile more, release more endorphins, and—you get the idea.
Going beyond the science, working out in a group simply allows you to spend extra social time with people you like. It makes the activity fun! Physical exercise in any setting, alone or in a group, can help improve your mood and help you relax. But consider joining a workout group, bringing a friend on your next walk, or attending an exercise class to get the most benefits.
Until next time,
Avi
Sources:
The health benefits of working out with a crowd (nbcnews.com)
Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity – Mayo Clinic
I loved this blog post! I was also at the yoga meeting for Schreyer for Women and agree that it not only improved my physical health, but my mental health. Being in the same room as my peers and friends gave me socialization that I miss out on during the week. It also introduced me to the concept of yoga and showed me a beginners video to ease myself in. Overall, I had so much fun and therefore completely agree with your reflection on the night. Hopefully in the future we can recreate this relaxation!
A great blog post, while I can’t speak to yoga the most, I wholeheartedly agree that exercising with a friend makes the whole experience a lot better. I’m glad to hear that you were able to find time to relax, everything has been so busy recently. I’ll have to take your advice and try to go on walks and just talk to people instead of running alone like I tend to do to get that extra benefit of social interaction during it. I really liked how you talked about the science behind it with neurotransmitters, it makes your whole argument not only more credible but also more persuasive at the same time. Exercise is so important for both physical and mental health, you did a very good job in advocating for it, great job!