Posted on March 4, 2020 by groupexercise.sport

For those who are like myself who are always on their phones, laptops, and tablets 24/7, here are some rad apps that will help you all to get out of those dark days we don’t want to be in and start moving some ligaments, bones, and joints! The super cool part about these fun apps is that we don’t have to say RIP to our bank account because, wait for it… THEY ARE FREE!

Mind Shift

Here’s the Story: Mindshift is an app that is specifically built for those who deal with one of the most common mental illnesses out there, anxiety. You must be thinking, “Oh great! Just what I need to make me more anxious.” Well, you are wrong! It is helpful by making you think of ways to change your opinions about anxiety. It teaches an individual ways on how to manage their anxiety, how to perform in a non-anxious way, how to prevent test anxiety, and etc. There are lists offered on several coping strategies, “chill out” tools such as breathing exercises, mental imagery, and mindfulness strategies. If you find certain methods that work for you, you have the opportunity of favoring those, so you can hold onto them for future reference.

Price: FREE!

Want more?: Mindshift app was developed by Anxiety Canada. Its available for both IOS and Android users. This app has been rated with 4.3 stars and has 81 ratings. Some of the reviews seem like this app is flexible and easy to use, but they would like the opportunity to be able to journal more of their anxiety attacks as well as featuring some of the anxiety disorders that have been found.

Happify

Here’s the Story: Happify app provides a mood-training program that will help get you in the best mood possible. Good vibes, good moods, a training program; what more can you ask for? Well, it offers many games to get you involved with the program, activity suggestions, trains your brain to stay positive, and overcome negative vibes that you may be feeling. It offers many effective exercises that will make you feel like you are a whole new person! The sweet thing about this app is that the results of your mood program come from other individuals that are going through the same issues you are. Therefore, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Price: FREE!

Want more?: This app was founded by Lewis Katz. It is available for both IOS and Android users. This app has a 4.5 star rating with 2K ratings. Some reviews were positive by individuals saying that it definitely changed their mindset and that they do not have to force themselves to be happy. Others say it is a bit stressful, so they need to step up their game by designing the app to become easier to maintain in an upward movement. Although there were a couple harsh reviews on the app, most of the reviews were eye catching due to having a full 5 star rating which lead me to believe this app is successful for 99% of individuals dealing with a mental illness.

Shine: Calm Anxiety & Stress

Here’s the Story: Shine helps you relax your mind and muscles because that is what your body deserves. It offered personalized programs just for you that will deliver daily messages of affirmation, self-care advice, and a podcast of meets meditation that will introduce you to a new wellness topic each day. On this app, you have access to sleep-inducing bedtime stories, soothing music, exercises, and over 500 guided meditations. Guess what else Shine has to offer? It is great for you if you are dealing with a stressful day/week. It will help take the edge off a little bit and turn your day from bad to good in a flash. Now let us get our shine on!

Price: FREE!

Want more?: This app was developed and founded by two remarkable women named Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey. This app has deserved a 4.7 star rating with 3,545 ratings. It is available to both Android and IOS users and has some of the best reviews. It has to be one of my favorite apps that I have looked into and it seems to be able to change your life forever. It has some strong reviews by describing how it is nice to reflect and show gratitude, but most importantly taking care of YOURSELF. This app shows that it wants you to make sure you feel 100% before helping someone else. Just get it! 

Breathe, Relax, and Don’t Stress Anymore! Download these apps TODAY.

Assignments

Posted on February 26, 2020 by groupexercise.sport

Last week, in my blog called Things You Didn’t Know About The Relationship Between Social Media and Physical Activity, I described to you how exercise is perceived in a variety of ways. This week I will be explaining to you that there are eight different ways we can fantasize that mental illness immediately goes away through the remedy of exercise.

Myth 1: If you take medication, you can never get off it.

False: Medication is like a drug. It is a depressant and it is addicting to some people. In previous studies, it has shown that taking medication frequently can lead to addiction. This can initiate the fact that a person can be dependent on a drug that does not associate the fact that they will be leaning towards an unhealthy lifestyle. According to Pfizer Medical Team, taking too many medications can cause poor nutrition, trouble performing daily activities, and having an increased risk of side effects. These items can occur due to having disbelief in any other remedy that will be unsuccessful and the only remedy people know of in order to make the pain go away is by taking medication until they feel so called “normal.”

Myth 2: Exercise “Cures” Depression.

False: There is not a specific cure for depression. Although there are many different remedies for depression and other mental illnesses out there, exercise seems to be the best. It may not completely cure mental illness, but it definitely gets your blood flowing and lowers your stress levels according to Dr. Gary Small. They say antidepressants are the best cure for depression, but in reality, exercise is the healthier choice. It focuses on lifting the mood of the individual who may be dealing with this issue.

Myth 3: Positive Thinking is a Cure-All for Mental Illness.

False: Positive thinking does not necessarily cure all mental illnesses, like exercise or antidepressants do, but there have been previous studies found. Positivity is not the only thing you can have when curing mental illness. It is joined by medication, self-care, and therapy. However, negativity is the factor that 100% worsens the factor of mental illness. Positivity may have its pros and cons, but exercise is the important remedy that people need to take up upon if they do not want to experience having a dark day each week. You will soon be craving a workout, wanting to sweat, and wanting to feel like a hero. All you can do is be positive when exercising and know your mental illness will soon vanish away as the days progress.

Myth 4: Depression Is Something You Can “Snap Out Of”.

False: It is not that easy! Depression is not like a cut where it goes away within a couple weeks. In my blog post, “Things You Didn’t Know About The Relationship Between Social Media and Physical Activity”, I described to you that you do not have to go through any type of mental illness alone. You have those who you love and support you by your side if you need a hand to hold. For example, exercise is a difficult hobby to get into by yourself and with the support and the intuition of wanting to feel better, you will gain so much motivation to get the job done. Exercise is not an immediate cure because it takes time to get the feel for things when dealing with a mental illness of depression or anxiety. Gaining an experience of physical activity can begin to brighten yours day now and in the future, so get started!

Myth 5: Talk Therapy Works For Everyone.

False: According to Dr. Bret Moore, talk therapy does not work for everyone. People may think it is the number one therapy source for mental illness, but for a majority of people it does not work. Talk therapy is a better source for people who choose to take medication, but it does not completely cure your illness right away. It can take years for it to make progress on certain individuals, but don’t let it be a waste of time if you haven’t seen progress in at least a month’s worth of effort into it. 

Myth 6: You Need A Specific Diagnosis To Start Treatment.

False: Although treatment is a cure to relieve whatever you may be going through, in order to begin treatment, you need to signify what exactly you need to improve in your daily lifestyle. Mayo Clinic determines a diagnosis in a matter of ways such as a physical exam, lab tests, and a psychological evaluation. This way the doctor will pinpoint what exactly you need to be treated for. 

Myth 7: Mental Illness Is Forever.

False: Not necessarily. It is your choice to make your mental illness forever or not. According to Sane Australia, you cannot improve your mental illness if you do not put the effort in, in doing so. Individuals who go through this daily need to be aware that mental illness is treatable. There are not enough people that take the opportunity to better themselves in a positive way and there are people out there wanting to help improve your lifestyle so you can feel better. You cannot just expect your mental illness to go away on its own; you have to work for it and make it happen. Do not choose to live your life in a negative way because then you will be unhappy forever. Use all the remedies you can to improve your health, especially exercise because it will make you feel 100X better than you do on an inactive day.

Myth 8: Anxiety Never Leaves Your Brain.

False: Anxiety will only leave your brain if you want it to. It is up to you and your brain to relieve the pain you are dealing with. There are significant ways you are able to manage your anxiety or other mental illness issues by looking into what treatments are best for your situation. There are many mindful exercises according to Evolve, such as dialectical behavioral therapy, applied behavioral analysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, group exercise therapy, etc. These will all help you to slowly remove the anxiety levels and the other issues you deal with on a daily from your brain if you choose to do the right thing.

I am hoping this has made an impact on some mishaps you have heard in the past or in which you are thinking about seeking in the future. If you want to continue to look for informative information on how both exercise as well as other remedies reduce mental illness, you can take a look at Mayo Clinic, Get Healthy/Stay Healthy, or any health-related website that deals with this common issue. You can find more information at U.S. Psychology Today, Psych Central, and/ or my continuous blog at groupexercise.sport, which gives you detailed information on the ways you can prevent your mental illness, what remedies are most important, and where to start in this new process.

Posted on February 19, 2020 by groupexercise.blog.sport

Prior Blog Posts

Thank you to all who have been keeping up with Group Exercise! Feel free to take a look at the previous blog posts if you haven’t already. Get In, Get Fit, and Get on with Life was to give you some type of introduction as to what I am trying to promote, which is how you can change your daily lifestyle by adding exercise to it as well as how exercise can reduce your ability of mental illness. Have you experienced mental illness and want to use exercise as your source of therapy? It is never too late to look into it. Do you exercise 3-5 days a week regularly or are you physically inactive? Exercise is a great way to begin your day or even end your day when working long hours or not having anything to do in between. I personally experience with mental illness and both exercise and diet has had a huge impact on my life. To read more, take a look at Reasons Why Exercise is Beneficial For Reducing Anxiety Disorders to give you more of an insight on what to look forward to for this post.

Because it is hard to get started on a new daily routine and change your lifestyle completely, YOU MUST read my first blog post, Get In, Get Fit, and Get on with Life. This post really gives you factual information on what people normally think when it comes to exercise, who its effecting, and what outcomes you can gain from this experience. If you are dealing with mental illness, you do not always have to go exercise alone; there are your friends, your family, and those around you that will be glad to join you. Don’t think you always have to go to a therapy office or talk groups as your first resource, because exercise is one of the most common and most important resources of therapy out there for those who deal with daily mental illness, such as anxiety and depression. Therefore, the more health related sites, whether they are linked to the social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are more likely to promote fitness clubs, diet, and personal training programs that will help you lead in the right direction.

However, please keep in mind that I am available as a source of informative information when you are ready to start an exercise program to reduce those dark days you may experience on a day to day basis. Feel free to follow me on Vimeo and Twitter to stay tuned on the information that I will continue to share with you on groupexercise.sport.blog, Vimeo and Twitter. With these informative sites, you can use them to show off your fitness progress and give helpful information to those who may take insight on the resources you may have used. Fun fact, the more exercise we take apart in, the better we feel!

Social Media Accounts

Let it out on Twitter: @feelfreeandfit

Feel Free on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com

Blog and Social Media Disclosure

The goal of my blog is to promote the use of exercise and to help those reduce mental illness in the future. My goal is to not make revenue or not to receive valid or invalid data from any of my fellow followers. I want my followers to gain an understanding that they are NOT alone in the situation when it comes to dealing with a mental illness and to understand that physical activity is the best resource to use! All in all, I will not be using any copyright tags nor plagiarizing any given data that will come off as my own words without using the valid resources I found prior to this blog post.

Posted on February 12, 2020-February 12, 2020 by groupexercise.sport

In my last blog post, I promoted the use of exercise to all age groups. Like any other person out there, there are pros and cons to why a person would want to change their lifestyle or not. But how do we know what is the right decision? Do we believe what that Twitter app has to say about exercising? Do you listen to others around you doubting the fact that exercise is not good for you and being lazy is the best option? To help understand why exercise is important, we need to search for valuable information in order to feel comfortable about adding a new challenge to your daily lifestyle. We need to be able to believe in ourselves that there are good sources of physical activity that can help us step in the right direction. Social media seems to do a lot of harm to others and this is a huge impact as to why most people either begin to exercise or want to stay away. Here are some sources that we should avoid and which ones we should pursue in order to move on with our daily lives…

What to “Lean” On:

• Adaa.org

            ADAA stands for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, which is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and co-occuring disorders through education, practice, and research. It is a great website to find accurate information on people who deal with anxiety and other disorders in which exercise has helped their lives improve.

• Health.harvard.edu

Harvard Health Publishing is the consumer health education division of Harvard Medical School that provides the most current health information that is authoritative, trustworthy, and accessible. This blog represents ideas about how exercise helps ease up anxiety levels.

• Helpguide.org

            HelpGuide is a nonprofit mental health and wellness website to provide empowering, evidence-based information that you can use to help yourself and your loved ones. This site gives you valid information on how exercise can cope with anxiety disorders. It gives you reasonable facts about a time frame on how long you should exercise as well as types of exercise that will be beneficial for you in the long run.

What Sources to “Burn”:

• Facebook

What is social media without the one site that started it all, Facebook? Yes, it is a great way to stay in touch with those you do not see often, see what events are going on throughout each month, and post images and statuses of your daily life. But it is not the best way to get in touch with an exercise program or get input on information on what specifically you are looking for, especially dealing with anxiety and exercise. You may see your friends on Facebook share an event or even share a good source for dealing with anxiety and exercise or etc., but the information they have shared is not always valid until you, yourself actually contact the event coordinator or the program that was listed.

• Instagram

            Prior to this second blog post, I had told you all that exercise can impact your motivation skills because you may notice a friend or a family member really turn around their lifestyles by looking fit, eating differently, and always working out or doing some type of physical activity. Well, Instagram similar to Facebook has shown us that comparing ourselves to others is another personality trait we may want to grasp. However, it makes it too easy to cut out a proportion of an image of ourselves and make it look like we have lost weight, or we have tanner skin, or we are eating healthier foods, when really it is all fake. The images could be someone else’s body and just our head on that person’s body, we can contrast our skin to make it look darker, we can use a Facetune app to make our teeth whiter, and we can steal a picture of food off google to make it look like it’s what we are eating at that moment in time. When people see these fake images being posted, they tend to feel like they need to be just like that person or “better.” It encourages them to become anorexic, eat foods they may not like or even be allergic to, go the beach more and get tan, or go to the store and buy teeth whitening strips. All of these excuses listed can lead the person to live an unhealthy lifestyle, which is not ideal when we are trying to promote a healthy lifestyle.

• Twitter

            This is a site where just like Facebook you can communicate with those you may not see on a day to day basis, but mainly it is a site where you can post all about your feelings as well as images of whatever it may be. It may seem like a cool site at first, but when feelings are being thrown out there, inappropriate pictures, and unreliable links being shared, makes it more difficult to actually enjoy the site. There may be a link to check out a new exercise program that has come to town, but it may fool you by the way it was promoted out to be. In addition, there may be a picture posted of a heavy girl with an advertisement of weight loss and why her mental health went so low. This is a good example of inappropriate images being posted and false accusations as to why she is the way she is. We need to stick to the sites that are previously listed under “what to lean on” to gain a more accurate understanding as to why exercise is so important for your mental health.

The goal of this second blog post gives you a better understanding as to what resources you need to use for accurate information when it comes to promoting exercise for anxiety as well as what sources you need to throw away because what you may read on those sites is not entirely true. Be sure to read my blog, Reasons Why Exercise is Beneficial for Reducing Anxiety Disorders because it has valid information on where to start and how to be successful in a new and improved healthy lifestyle.