effects of exercise on anxiety?

I suffer from bad anxiety and sometimes out of nowhere I will get anxiety attacks and I'm wondering what type of exercise will help with that. I know some of my anxiety is born out of excess nervous energy

I definitely have above average anxiety. And have experienced attacks.

Exercise is the biggest helper I've found so far. When I do sprints and other high intensity exercises early in the day, for the rest of the day I'm much calmer than usual. Not tired, but just relaxed and less anxious. In the long run it definitely makes me less anxious. On the flip side, when I'm sitting at the computer for several hours my anxiety grows.

Bodies like to be in motion. If you have anxiety (excess energy, awareness) use it! Or else it just grows and the excess long-term cortisol and stress hurts your adrenals. Short, high intensity exercise does it for me.

[QUOTE=PookDo;878436]I suffer from bad anxiety and sometimes out of nowhere I will get anxiety attacks and I'm wondering what type of exercise will help with that. I know some of my anxiety is born out of excess nervous energy[/QUOTE]

This isn't exercise but have you tried taking some magnesium? I've been prone to anxiety myself and I find that when I take magnesium citrate 300-400mg, I feel a noticeable difference in my anxiety levels. Magnesium helps promote relaxation.

[QUOTE=Bosnic;878461]I definitely have above average anxiety. And have experienced attacks.

Exercise is the biggest helper I've found so far. When I do sprints and other high intensity exercises early in the day, for the rest of the day I'm much calmer than usual. Not tired, but just relaxed and less anxious. In the long run it definitely makes me less anxious. On the flip side, when I'm sitting at the computer for several hours my anxiety grows.

Bodies like to be in motion. If you have anxiety (excess energy, awareness) use it! Or else it just grows and the excess long-term cortisol and stress hurts your adrenals. Short, high intensity exercise does it for me.[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately, I work out at night but I usually get one lifting session in on Saturday. It definitely reduces my anxiety.

I would also recommend supplementing magnesium. Can help greatly with anxiety, especially since almost no one gets enough magnesium in their diet.

As someone who suffers from anxiety, which has been GREATLY reduce through primal living, my suggestions (not all fitness based), would be to cut all caffeine, cut added sugars, eat to keep blood sugar levels stable and actually until you do those things to the point you feel better, I would back off of max effort training. When that other stuff was off for me, training made my anxiety worse bc my body was already pumping adrenaline from the anxiety and the exercise just caused more to be released. It is not that way anymore. Just my suggestion, may not work for everyone.

I remember reading research a couple of years ago that said that exercise was great at [B]preventing[/B] anxiety but not so hot on [B]'curing'[/B] anxiety.

First of all try to keep yourself calm and out of stress, don't get panic of anything. Do some meditation and yoga in early morning. Yoga will keep your mind peaceful.

Yoga. Concenrating on poses and breathing would help.

What about fun team sports? Nothing makes me smile and laugh more than a friendly competitive game of something. Laughing and team spirit has to help on some level.

I'm the wiggles! I don't sit still. I can't sit still, and if I have to, I feel the tension within minutes! Sprinting +1, heavy lifting +1, and bang out push-ups and chin-ups at will. For times when I HAVE to sit still, I try to breathe in for four heartbeats and out for four heartbeats. Easy to do since I always feel my heart beating throughout my entire body. My brain does not filter it out! I'm always aware of it!!! But, yeah, poses, slowed breathing and letting things go instead of stewing on what needs to be done all help a ton.

Oddly, the internet is so addictive I can sometimes sit for half an hour at a stretch!