Does matching your workouts to your mood improve energy levels and mental health?

A woman smiling after exercising

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Strong Women


Does matching your workouts to your mood improve energy levels and mental health?

By Chloe Gray

4 years ago

2 min read

It’s well ingrained in us to choose workouts based on physical goals – an upper body workout to build stronger arms, a functional workout for better posture, a run for a fitter cardiovascular system. But have you ever thought about choosing a workout to match your mood, such as a weights session when you’re focused or pilates for stressful days? 

Type ‘yoga for…’ into YouTube and you’ll be greeted with a load of physical ailments or goals, from back pain and digestive issues to flexibility and strength. But there are also classes aimed at how you feel. Yoga for when you feel overwhelmed/lost/tired/angry as well as yoga that can help energise, aid sleep or increase relaxation. And, a personal favourite from the yogi queen Adriene Mishler (aka Yoga with Adriene)… “yoga for when you feel dead inside”.

It’s not only yoga – more and more workouts are popping up that are targeted to our mood (or targeted to changing it). It’s about how we feel emotionally and mentally, rather than just physically. And it’s miles away from the discussion of what we look like, too. 

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