15/01/2026
Movement can reduce stress … but only when it supports your nervous system 🧠
Exercise is a powerful tool for stress management, but more intensity isn’t always better!
Movement is still a stressor!!
It raises your heart rate, activates the sympathetic nervous system, and increases cortisol, which is healthy when recovery is adequate
When life stress is already high, pushing harder can:
• Disrupt sleep
• Increase fatigue & irritability
• Reduce motivation
• Leave you feeling exhausted
Sometimes your body doesn’t need more stimulation, it needs down-regulation
Gentle, restorative movement counts as real exercise 🌿
Walking, yoga, Pilates, mobility work, breath-focused movement, or lighter training with longer rests can help activate the parasympathetic (rest & digest) system and support recovery
✔ Some days stress relief looks like lifting heavy
✔ Some days it looks like slowing down
✔ Both are valuable
The best exercise for stress is the one that meets your nervous system where it’s at 🫶🏻
⭐️ Train smart
⭐️ Recover well
⭐️ Listen to your body!!
