3 Physical Activities for Managing Stress at Home

At Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, we understand that Americans are living in stressful times and stress can have a negative effect on your health.

In fact, Studies have shown a high correlation between stress and high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and/or high cortisol and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Experts at Harvard explain that “exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol.” And The World Health Organization recommends that adults do 150 minutes of exercise a week, while those with poor mobility should practice improving their balance 3 days a week.

Don’t worry – even if you’re not able to perform extreme physical exercise, there are still plenty of quarantine-proof physical activities you can do at-home to manage your stress levels and stay healthy. Below are just a few!

Yoga at Home

Yoga is the perfect physical activity for those looking to manage their stress levels. Yoga combines physical activity, controlled breathing, and meditation to lower stress, which improves your brain health anddecreases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

There are many different styles of yoga that range in intensity. Research and find a yoga program that goes slower and simpler to start. With simple yoga poses, you will be focusing on deep breathing while performing soothing stretches and poses that soothe stress’ effects on your muscles.

Feel free to get in touch with the experts at AlzheimersPrevention.org to learn more about yoga for the prevention of Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, try searching YouTube for free yoga lessons you can do from the comfort of your own home and check out our blog about indoor yoga ideas.

Walking for Stress Relief

Walking is an excellent, low-impact physical activity. It’s also good for stress reduction because it involves using large muscle groups in a rhythmic, repetitive way. “Muscle meditation” involved in walking has been shown to lower stress levels.

Even if you don’t have the time or stamina to take a long walk, you can get similar benefits out of taking a few short walks during the day.

Resistance Training at Home

If cardio and yoga aren’t your cup of tea, strength training can also work to improve your health and lower your stress. Putting your muscles to work can actually release more endorphins quicker than cardio!

Most gyms are closed for the foreseeable future, but you can still do plenty of resistance moves at home, even if you don’t own any weights.

Try lunges, squats, and push-ups to start. If you want to increase the difficulty but don’t have any weights, opt for soup cans or water bottles.

Manage Your Stress for Your Health

It is important to lower your risk of health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s by incorporating one of these at-home physical activities into your daily routine.

Whatever you decide to do, stay proactive and feel free to reach out to the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation if you have any questions about exercise for the prevention of Alzheimer’s.

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Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation is a leading global Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevention organization, funding some of the most significant integrative medicine research on Alzheimer’s prevention, while providing educational outreach to laypeople, healthcare providers and caregivers on the 4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention^®.  Our research has been published in the prestigious Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as other significant medical journals, such as The International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Psychiatry Research, Nuclear Medicine Communications and Consciousness and Cognition.

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