Exercise Twenty-Two: Intense Exercise

So, it’s time to get moving.

“Stress leads to urges to fight or flee to safety. When we’re emotionally aroused and then exercise, we’re letting the body do what it wants to do – move! While any kind of movement can help, the skill of Intense Exercise works best when you bring your heart rate high enough. (Consult your medical provider before trying any new kind of exercise!)”

I already go to the gym a lot, but I don’t work as intensely as I should. So this is one of my resolutions – move a bit more, and a bit faster, in 2025.

Here are the steps -

1)”Choose a form of exercise that you are physically capable of doing, that you feel willing to do, and that will get your heart rate to moderate intensity.” Moderate intensity is when you can still speak a sentence while exercising before you need to stop to catch your breath.

2) “Exercise! Whether you’re using exercise as a TIP skill to calm down immediately, or you’re trying to improve your overall mood by exercising regularly, it’s most effective to exercise for 20-30 minutes at a time.”

3) “Stretch and relax” afterwards

And if 20 minutes of exercise isn’t possible, micro-workouts of just a minute can be used to calm emotions. The authors suggest “jumping jacks, push-ups, squats or yoga flows.”