Sport is not only good for the body.
For many of us, punches and jumps, strokes in the pool and sprints on an athletics track or in a park are the best cure for stress, the emotional tension that can manifest itself in a thousand ways, from nail biting to make involuntary movements. “Tension makes us too sensitive, always ready to react, and each of us has a different way of dealing with it. Those who can understand and manage it have already taken an important step forward. Someone needs a sweeter answer, like walking or lo yoga. Others need a more dynamic activity, that is sport, “he explains Giulia Maffioli, president of the National Association of Psychotherapists. The choice of activities that help reduce emotional tension is vast. They range from contact sports, in which you throw kicks and punches, to those that force you to work hard and sweat. Boxing, and especially prepugilistics, offer one of the best answers. Hundreds of gyms, all over Italy, allow you to train the body and learn the technique without having to face an opponent, but by hitting a bag or the gloves of a master, without having to get on a ring.
1. Train the heart, muscles and lungs with prepugilistics
“Pre-gut is a huge release valve, and it’s great for working out the heart, muscles and lungs. Today, many women also practice it, mostly young people, ”she says Gianni Caldarone, physiotherapist and former modern pentathlon champion. After a warm-up phase, exercises are performed with tools or free body, then we approach the technique of boxing. The prepugilistics, as well as against emotional tension, is useful for reducing fat mass, and for improving self-esteem.
2. Use the kettlebell weights in the manner of Sofia Goggia
The training of the ski champion Sofia Goggiafresh from an injury and waiting to compete on Tuesday 15 February in the downhill of the Olympics in Beijing, put kettlebells, weights with a large handle, in the spotlight. “Our physiotherapy started from there, then moved on to other exercises,” he explains Flavio Di Giorgio, athletic trainer of the Goggia. Boxers, rugby players and fighter pilots also train with kettlebells, often referred to by the Russian name girya. Beginners should preferably use 12 kilos weights, for those who are well trained it goes up to 18 or 24 kilos. The exercises, which can be practiced at home, in the gym or in a park, are very tiring but have excellent results on the muscles and against emotional tension.
3. Swimming yes but practiced continuously: series of 4,6 or 8 pools are needed
Also the I swimto which many thousands of people dedicate themselves, has an excellent effect on the body and mind. “It is a natural physiotherapy, which can also be practiced by those who have joint problems or are overweight” explains the physiotherapist Gianni Caldarone. «In my work I meet people who are made to run, and others who are comfortable in the water. Someone goes smoothly from running to swimming and vice versa, others do not. The important thing is to be advised correctly ”concludes the former pentathlete. Every sportsman has his resistance, but for swimming to have important results it must be practiced continuously (30 or 40 minutes), with series of 4, 6 or 8 laps alternating with moments of rest. Isolation in the water helps to cope with stress.
4. Zumba between aerobics and dance. The company gives us an extra hand
It takes us to a completely different world there zumba, a cross between aerobic gymnastics and dance. Conceived about twenty years ago in Colombia by the dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez, today it is practiced all over the world. It has a musical accompaniment based on hip-hop, salsa, soca, mambo or merengue, and includes gymnastic exercises such as squats and lunges (lunge). There are many different types of courses, from “zumba gold” (ideal for beginners and seniors) to “aqua zumba” (in the pool) and “zumba toning” which aims to strengthen muscles using some kind of dumbbell. The possible physical benefits concern heart function and breath, and those who practice it continuously can lose weight. It is practiced in a group, and also for this reason it helps to get rid of tension.
5. Walking, push-ups and pull-ups: combisport is practiced everywhere
For those who prefer to train alone, or with a few friends, a good response to emotional tension is combisport, combined training, which involves alternating between marcia or running, and sequences of calisthenics such as push-ups, pull-ups or squats. Ride in place is also helpful. “Combined training can be practiced anywhere, where the effort can be graduated according to everyone’s abilities – explains the athletic trainer Alberto Mancinelli – to have benefits it is important not to stop, but to work continuously ».
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