Last time we looked at how different types of exercise can affect how stressed we feel by teaching us to breathe in a specific manner. Another mechanism through which movement can affect stress and anxiety is the serial tensing and relaxing of muscles necessary for any type of movement or exercise.
When thinking of strength training this is particularly obvious. Think of a simple lift like picking up a heavy shopping bag from the ground to the kitchen bench or lifting a kettlebell in a bent over row. You will be tensing your shoulders, forearm and finger muscles for the lift and then relaxing many of these muscles for putting the weight down again. Chances are that the muscles just used will relax more following the lift than the level of relaxation they were at before the lift. With repeated practice this is also likely to lead to decreased overall tension felt in trained muscle groups. For example, people with chronic neck and shoulder pain from computer work or working as dentists or hairdressers report less tightness in their shoulders after a 10 week strength programme and this also shows in measures of electrical activity in neck muscles.
If lifting or any other more active type of exercise is not your thing, then you can still benefit from the positive effect of tensing and relaxing muscles for your mood, level of tension and pain. This type of practice is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation. The basic principle is that you actively tense muscle groups without the use of a weight or movement for a short amount of time (for example by pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth) and then quickly relax those muscle groups for a deeper level of relaxation you would be able to achieve by simply trying to relax.
The idea is that relaxing your muscles after tensing them reduces activation of other systems involved in the stress response and can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, for example. It also might work by giving you a greater sense of control over your thoughts and feelings. What’s more, similar to what has been shown for the effect of strength training on tight muscles in office workers, dentists and hairdressers, PMR might also relieve chronic musculoskeletal pain from rheumatoid- and osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and diffuse pain.
Here are some pointers to try it for yourself:
- Find a comfortable spot where you can lie flat and relaxed.
- Make sure there are not too many distractions – a quiet spot that is not fully lit and has a comfortable temperature is great.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath, slow your breathing down gently and shift the breath lower into the stomach.
- Now focus on your forehead muscles, wrinkle them and hold tension for 20 seconds, then promptly release tension taking note of the difference in feeling.
- Next clench your jaw, hold for 20 seconds and release quickly.
- Go through all major areas of your body from top to toe, your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, stomach, glutes, legs and feet.
- Twice a day for a few weeks should make you feel a little more chill.
- Exam period? Difficulty sleeping because of too many thoughts? Nervous before a trip, a talk or another event? Once you are practiced at this, try and use the technique on occasions where you feel you need a little help to relax.
If you are keen to learn more about training for strength over the next months, keep an eye on this spot, follow me or subscribe to the blogpost. Also, feel free to reach out to me via my website to arrange for a free call to see whether you would like to work with me one on one in rehabbing an injury or getting you underway toward a health goal. I look forward to hearing from you.
References (for the extra keen)
Bourne (2000)
Lidegaard et al. (2013)
Saeterbakken et al. (2020)
Persson et al. (2013)