Relieve Stress, Reduce Anxiety, Rest Better

 BY PARRISH MEDICAL CENTER | COMMUNITY SERVICES

Exercise in almost any form can relieve stress and improve your sleep

Have you enjoyed too much “cheer” this holiday season? Are you feeling sluggish? Not sleeping well? All stressed out?

No matter your age—young, old or somewhere in between—you might just need some exercise in your life to help you get going again.

Exercise in almost any form can relieve stress, according to Mayo Clinic. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries. Exercise improves your mood, can increase self-confidence, and lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. Exercise also can improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression and anxiety. Exercise can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life.

Age is no barrier

Anne Mitchell embodies that message. Mitchell, 90, spends most of her mornings at Parrish Health & Fitness Center. But she’s not sipping coffee and reading the paper. She’s pumping iron, sculpting her abs, and dancing Zumba, baby!

Anne retired when she was in her late 70s and began walking three miles every morning and attending local fitness programs. She began her membership at Parrish Health & Fitness Center with some trepidation, but she was already unstoppable in her pursuit of wellness.

“I started with the treadmill, bike and elliptical, but Robin [Rymkos] said I should try Zumba. I just watched in the back for a while, thinking ‘what’s an 80-something-year-old woman going to do in a class like that?

“Now, Zumba is my favorite class. I just do what I can do, and shake what I can shake. It really makes me motivated. The young ones see me and say they want to be like me if they get to my age. I can tell that I have gained strength all over — physically and mentally.”

“Anne has set a great example for seniors in our community. She is proof that physical activity, like weight-bearing exercise, helps build strong bones. She is friendly, funny and a wonderful person to have in class,” says Fitness Instructor Robin Rymkos.

Parrish Health & Fitness Center, North Brevard’s only medically integrated wellness center, offers:

  • State-of-the-art strength and cardiovascular training equipment
  • Multiple weight-training rooms
  • Two indoor heated pools
  • Personal fitness training
  • Wellness coaching
  • Massage therapy
  • More than 80 weekly group fitness classes for everyone from beginner to advanced
  • Cardiopulmonary wellness programs
  • Physical therapy
  • On-site laboratory services
  • And much more

Located at 2210 Cheney Highway (Highway 50) in Titusville, the 38,000-square-foot facility sits amid 10 acres of the best that Mother Nature has to offer. Within the facility, the floor-to-ceiling windows provide a serene view of the walking/jogging path, which winds through the native trees.

Check out Parrish Health & Fitness Center today, and get back on track to good health. http://healthbridge.parrishmed.com/relieve-stress-reduce-anxiety-rest-better