De-Stress You Day!

Well Foxy Friends,

It’s that time of year again – exams. Everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off, scrambling around trying to hand in assignments and study for those dreaded finals. Amidst your scrambling and headless-chicken running, make sure you still give yourself time for a workout. Even half an hour on the treadmill or a 20 minute stretch is better than nothing!

“Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to weightlifting, can act as a stress reliever” states the Mayo Clinic on their article Exercise and stress: Get moving to combat stress. They go on to explain the “stress-busting benefits” of working out. They say that it releases endorphins, which are your “feel-good neurotransmitter”, it helps distract you from the stress in your life, and it just improves your overall mood! 

Click here to read the full article!

I will be the fist one to say that my organizational skills are sometimes… well, lacking and procrastination happens quite often for this diva. You can usually find me studying minutes before a quiz and staying up until wee hours of the night to finish a project due the next morning at 8am. Due to this unfortunate habit of mine, I constantly find myself in blood pressure rising, heart pounding, stressful situations. My mother and father usually get at least 15 calls on these eventful days from me on the other end expressing how I am having "THE WORST" day of my life! My dramatic ways usually end up getting me no sympathy but a lecture from the two of them telling me that I need to stop leaving things until the last minute. I then, always vow that I will never leave another darn thing to the last second ever again. Then, the next set of exams come along and… I’m sure you can guess where this is going!

Now, if you are a procrastinating, dramatic diva like myself, you will really appreciate this post! I’m going to give you a quick 20 minute circuit workout for you to do right in your kitchen, office, or even the library and the hallway! This will help you ditch the stress and get back to writing your Sociological and Philosophical Foundations of Education essay and kill that Microeconomics exam!

Move 1:

Stand in a comfortable position with your feet shoulder width apart and your shoulders back – 20 seconds

Move 2:

Start walking at a slow pace – 1 minute

Move 3:

Ease into a jog – 4 minutes

Move 4:

Jumping jacks – 40 seconds

Move 5:

Slow down to a moderate walk – 1 minute

Move 6:

Lateral Squats – 15 reps or for 30 seconds

Move 7:

Stretch down to touch your feet – hold for 20 seconds

Move 8:

Walk your hands out so you are doing a Downward Facing Dog* – Do 3 reps, hold for 15 seconds each time

*Downward Facing Dog – Your feet about be hip width apart. Your hands are shoulder width apart with fingers spreading out. Keep your booty lifted towards the sky and gently push down through your heals. Bend yours knees and relax into tabletop position. Repeat. Remember to breath!

Move 9:

Lower yourself into full plank position – hold for 30 second

Move 10:

Drop your knees to the floor or stay in plank position for push-ups – 5 to 10 push-ups or for 15 seconds

Move 11:

Lie on your back and get ready for some crunches! – 60 crunches or for 1 minute

Move 12:

Stretch out arms and legs so you are flat on your back – 1 solid minute of relaxation

Repeat this circuit 2 times for your 20 minutes of stress-blasting fun!

So that’s it, that’s all! I hope that you find this workout helpful when you get feeling stressed and busy!

Always remember:

“You are just one workout away from a good mood!”

From one fab fox to another,

Stay fit, stay physical, and stay foxy!