Overcoming anxiety and exercising

Overcoming anxiety that happens before you exercise:

Our mission is “to transform self-belief and physical capacity with unrivalled care” and part of this is helping people start and keep going!!

These are some tips if you experience anxiety before doing exercise:

**Baby Steps**: Instead of diving headfirst into intense workouts, start small. A 10-minute walk or some gentle stretching to ease into the routine made it feel less daunting. This can especially true if you are driving to exercise. Park maybe 10min away or just get out of the car first and walk around the block before you have to walk inside to see people!

**Support System** find people who exercise, it’s easier to be part of something than to have to do it all yourself. If you look for a place to exercise your experience starts as soon as you make first contact. Support is more than a smile it’s caring first and direction so you know what to do it and how. You deserve time and patience.

**Mindfulness**: Incorporating mindfulness exercises like deep breathing and meditation before exercising can reduce anxiety levels. This could be good to do on your walk prior to starting!

**Setting Realistic Goals**: get help with these!! You should be able to say your goal out loud and believe it is going to happen. Celebrating small wins along the way can help you self belief.

**Consistency**: this is perhaps the most important component of success. Small tasks achieved often generally is better than big tasks done less often with exercise.

**Professional Help**: Seeking guidance from an exercise physiologist or exercise scientist who has an interest in mental health can help improve your knowledge of what to do. This for some people will lower your anxiety levels as you become more adept at exercise techniques and how to use equipment.

Exercise can be as beneficial for some people as meditation given the right dose and support systems in place. It can be very powerful medicine when combined with appropriate therapy interventions.

Remember, it’s okay to start slow, ask for help, and celebrate your progress, no matter how small. #AnxietyWarrior#HealthyMindHealthyBody#ExerciseJourney#vectorhealth#exercisephysiology#nevergiveup