Quick and Easy Relaxation Exercises to Help Relieve Adult Stress During these Trying Times

Oct. 25, 2012 - PRLog -- These times can be stressful for all of us. Buckmaster recommends the following relaxation exercises that only require 60 to 90 seconds.  They can be done easily and quickly on the job, in the car or during a few minutes of free time at home.  These exercises will help you feel less tense and more relaxed.  The result is a greater sense of physical and emotional well-being.

Step 1:  Assume a passive and comfortable position.  Although sitting may be most conducive to relaxation, you can do these exercises while standing, riding in a car, lying down or as you prepare for an anticipated stressful event.

Step 2:  Practice one or more of the following activities several times each day.  This will help keep you calm and reduce tension when it occurs.

Deep breathing:  Exhale slowly and relax all your muscles.  Say, as you exhale, “I feel tension and energy flowing from my body.”  Repeat the above exercise five or six times and you’ll become more relaxed.

Whole Body Tension:  Tense every muscle in your body, stay with that tension and hold it as long as you can without feeling any pain.  Slowly release the tension and very gradually feel it leave your body.  Repeat three times.  Notice how your feelings change.

Shoulder shrugs and head rolls:  Try to raise your shoulders to your ears.  Hold for the count of four, then drop your shoulders to their normal position.  Rotate your head and neck.  Vary this exercise by rotation your shoulders up and down, and your head and neck from side to side, and then together.

Imagine air as a cloud:   Open your imagination and focus on your breathing.  As your breathing becomes calm and regular, imagine that the air comes to you as a cloud – you inhale it and exhale it.  Notice that your breathing becomes regular as you relax.

Some relaxation exercises work better for some people than others.  Practice whatever exercises seem to fit you best.

“My professional staff and I highly recommend a regular exercise program for all adults who are working harder than ever to keep their jobs and their homes and building a secure future for their families,” said Buckmaster.

Buckmaster added that recent studies of job stress, which has only increased dramatically during the recession, reveals that one-fourth of employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives.  Three-fourths of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago.  Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are other life stressors, even financial problems or family problems.

“Those and many other studies prove that job stress not only negatively affects workplace productivity, but also can lead to many health problems:  cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal and psychological disorder, workplace injuries, suicide, cancer, ulcers and impaired immune function,”  added Buckmaster.

Relaxation, self-discipline and concentration have always been important elements of martial arts training, even during the ancient and traditional ears in Asia”, said Buckmaster.  “Because part of our focus in on physical fitness, we know our students are better prepared to face the challenges of their lives today and tomorrow, whatever they may be.

As a member of the National Association of Professional Martial Artists (NAPMA), Revolutionary Martial Arts & Fitness promotes and strives for the highest standards of age-appropriate curriculum, leadership training, child safety and security, business integrity and professional ethics.
For more information, check out Buck's website here: http://revolutionarymartialartsfitness.com/