When I would complain to my psychotherapist that I was having trouble finding the time to exercise, he would simply say, “20 minutes of cardio…with sweat.”
And thus my benchmark was set.
I strive to do cardio a minimum of 4x a week at 20 minutes a clip with the goal of breaking a sweat. I wear a heart rate monitor to ensure that I get up into the “cardio zone.”
Exercise releases endorphins into your body that act as natural painkillers.
Other benefits:
– Exhausting my body from a physical standpoint usually leads to a deeper, longer sleep
– Regular exercise regulates my mood to be more consistent
– I tend to think clearer and be more creative post-exercise
– Exercise increases my confidence, whether or not my appearance changes
Doctors seem to be conflicted as to whether or not sweating does, in fact, eliminate toxins from your body. But I visualize each droplet of sweat of being some kind of evil liquid that is attempting to make me anxious and work that much harder to purge it from my being.
Again, these are my cardio minimums; I often do much more.
How much cardio do you find you need to feel relaxed and balanced?
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