Three Quick Exercises that Will Reduce Stress

Not only are dancers bombarded with stress on a daily basis. Everyone is a victim of being overwhelmed with chronic sleep deprivation, long work hours, lack of vacation time at some point. Most of us are in need of regular exercise in our lives. But with our crazy schedules, who has time? 

Without stress, you spend less time being sick. Although there is no magic pill or fancy technology that can take stress away, there is something you can do at the start of your day to reduce the effects of stress:

Before you shower, get dressed for the day, start your to-do list, eat breakfast, or turn on the computer, take 15 minutes to do the same activities every morning to calm your mind and move your body.

An example of a healthy routine that works for me is:

1. Wake up and drink 16 ounces of pure, filtered water to rehydrate your body’s tissues.

Hydration is a healthy way to start your day.

2. Do a 5-minute meditation.

Take five minutes to turn away from all your electronics to just breath. 

3. Do a 10-minute low-impact workout to get your blood flowing and motivation pumping through your veins.

There are lots of great workout options, but the ones I like to do are yoga based. After I wake up I like to move my spine in a pose called "cat, cow" pose. This pose is good to get mobility in the hips and spine. Another pose I like to do is "downward dog" pose. This pose stretches my calves which feels nice in the morning. I also like to do some abdominal exercises so I can feel stable before I leave for work.  

One of the biggest excuses for not eating healthier, exercising more, and taking part in stress-reducing activities, is that we don't have the time. But 15 minutes is a small daily goal that you will change your bad habits.