Reduce your stress by following some simple tips.

Reduce your stress by following some simple tips.

Had a bad day? Feel stressed and tense? OK, so go and walk it off! Yep, it’s that easy.

Start off slowly, walk the first ten minutes at a gentle pace. Hold your head up, breathe deeply, and let your arms swing, letting your feet dictate the rhythm and pace.

Now that you are warmed up, find somewhere quiet and do a hamstring stretch and a calf stretch, holding the stretch for a count of ten.

Now set off again for another 10 minutes but walk more purposefully this time. Again, hold your head up and swing your arms, looking straight ahead. Enjoy the air, the sights, and sounds around you and try to let your mind relax.

If you still find yourself worrying try this. Focus on your breathing and, if you want, count each breath as you walk. After a moment or so you will find that your mind will quieten and you will feel more relaxed.

As you approach home begin to slow for the last hundred yards or so to cool down. When you arrive home, stop and look back at the road along which you have just walked and remember how good the walk was. Now go inside and do the hamstring and calf stretches again.

That’s it! You’ve just walked off your stress and so the next time you arrive home feeling stressed you’ll know what to do.