Reduce Stress with Exercise

The Best Workouts to Banish Stress

Unclench your fist, set down the stress ball, and pick up your gym bag. A sweat session will help clear your head, boost your mood, and relieve built-up muscle tension
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The Best Workouts to Banish Stress // woman doing yoga sitting in prayer pose c Thinkstock

Image: Thinkstock

Yoga

Hanging out in downward dog won’t just clear your head—yoga also helps reduce stress at the neurological level. According to researchers at Harvard Medical School, study participants who took part in an 8-week stress-reduction program that included 27 minutes of mindful activity, like meditation exercises and gentle yoga, a day experienced increased gray-matter density in the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential for learning and memory, and decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with anxiety and stress.

Try It: Decompress with the Slim, Calm, Sexy, Relaxing Yoga Sequence, a soothing routine of 12 poses that will gently engage muscles, relieve tension, and relax the body.

Want more yoga in your life?

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