In uncertain times, I resort to two kinds of fitness: cardio and Pilates. Cardio exercise is my go-to mood enhancer. And it isn’t just some weird quirk of my personality—science indicates that cardio exercise can work better than antidepressants to improve mood (DO NOT stop taking antidepressants without talking to a doctor; consider adding exercise as well.). It also suggests that cardio improves general brain function and I certainly feel less depressed when my brain works.
Pilates, on the other hand, along with its cousins yoga and stretching, helps with the tension and anxiety parts. All those mindbody disciplines ground us back into our breath. We move stuck parts and stretch contracted muscles. We breathe. We remember how to be flexible while staying strong. We rediscover the rhythms of our movements and the cooperation of muscle and bone.
Cardio exercise, thankfully, is easily available to all of us. We can all walk or run or dance in even limited space. Some of us may have clothes storage devices hiding in our rooms that secretly used to be exercise bikes or treadmills or the like—this would be a great time to lift the spell and return them to their original form.
Pilates with equipment may be harder to come by, but we can all sit and focus on our breathing and do a few simple stretches to remind our bodies that they don’t have to be clenched all the time.
If even that seems too hard, just keep breathing.
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