Buzz
Whether someone else has made you angry, you're frustrated with yourself, or you've just had a terrible day, one of the best ways to turn that angry energy into something productive is through exercise. That pent-up anger can build up inside you, and exercising is an effective way to channel that anger into physical action, causing you to sweat, release endorphins, and feel (and look) better. The good news is, if you want to transform your anger through exercise, there are plenty of exercises that can help you achieve this.
Steps
Exercise to Release Anger
Do cardio or aerobic exercises to boost endorphin production. Cardio exercises increase your heart rate, and aerobic exercises increase oxygen intake. These two factors work together, and when combined, they help your body produce endorphins, which react with the brain to create a positive feeling and reduce the perception of pain. If you're feeling angry, a great way to transform that energy is by using it to push through a challenging cardio/aerobic workout.
- Always consult your doctor before engaging in exercises that challenge your heart and lungs.
Monitor your heart rate throughout high-intensity workouts. When you're angry, your heart rate may already be elevated. Therefore, when engaging in cardio exercises, it's important to monitor your safety. Your workout depends on the performance of your cardiovascular system. During rest breaks, check your pulse to ensure your heart rate doesn't exceed the maximum limit.
- To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220.
Avoid weightlifting when you're angry. While feeling very angry, you might think that lifting heavy weights a few times will help release that frustration. However, lifting weights while angry and not thinking clearly can be very dangerous. Anger causes you to lose focus, which increases the risk of a serious injury.
- If you go to the gym with anger, even the smallest inconvenience can spark even more rage.
- If you get injured, you'll just become angrier!
Try new exercises to transform your anger. If you want to calm down through exercise, this is a great opportunity to try a workout or class you've always wanted to but never got around to. Let your anger drive you to try something new. This way, you'll have an amazing session, and you might even discover a new passion.
- Turn your anger into motivation to face your workout, not the people in the class or gym.
Listen to your favorite music to release anger. Music improves focus and reduces fatigue, making your workout feel easier and more enjoyable. The mental distraction created by music, along with the energy you expend during a longer workout, will help calm your anger. You can listen to calming music to ease your frustration or choose rock or upbeat music to release the anger.
Warning: When exercising outdoors or in areas with many obstacles or hazards, avoid listening to music at a high volume that might prevent you from hearing warnings or alarms to avoid danger. This is especially important when running on the street or near railroad tracks!
Stretch before intense workouts, especially when you're angry. You might feel the urge to jump straight into your workout and skip the warm-up and stretching. Anger can make you impatient and frustrated with taking time to warm up your muscles and prepare for the intense session ahead. However, exercising without stretching and warming up can lead to injury, meaning you won't be able to work out for a while while waiting for recovery, which will only make you angrier!
- Use your warm-up and stretching time to focus and transform your anger into energy that will help you complete your upcoming workout.
Try Other Exercises
Try managing your anger with running. Running is an effective way to transform anger and frustration. The focus needed for running and the endorphins produced during your workout will help you stop dwelling on the things that upset you and make you feel better. Just remember to warm up and stretch properly before running!
- Run along a scenic route. You can enhance the benefits of running by choosing a peaceful area without too many distractions, like running along a lake or in a quiet part of the city.
- Use a treadmill to release your anger. A treadmill lets you run indoors without worrying about the weather conditions.
- Watch out for vehicles or other hazards while running. Always stay alert to avoid running into people or moving vehicles.
Tip: Prepare a quality pair of running shoes. Since you're angry, what you need most is comfort. A good pair of running shoes will provide comfort for your feet while helping you focus on your breathing and movement.
Do interval training to channel your anger in a healthy way. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is perfect for transforming anger because it requires you to give your full effort during short bursts of exercise. You'll use all your energy during the workout, then take short breaks. This way, you can convert your angry energy into power for the workout.
- Try Tabata training to control your anger. Tabata consists of short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief rest periods, requiring high concentration before continuing your workout.
Practice yoga to calm your anger. Doing challenging yoga poses is a great way to use your anger’s energy to overcome difficulties. You might feel so angry and frustrated that the idea of doing yoga seems impossible. However, joining a yoga class can help you overcome this thought and focus on transforming your anger into each movement. Additionally, channeling your angry energy is easier when you have a group supporting you.
- Try deep breathing to release your anger. Deep breathing is an essential part of yoga and can help you transform anger.
- Do a series of warrior poses to challenge your anger. These poses will physically challenge your body, giving you a great goal to channel your anger.
- Join a hot yoga class to release your anger.
- If you don’t want to join a group class, you can rent a private session at yoga studios during their off hours.
Join a mixed boxing class. Boxing and kickboxing are both great ways to transform your anger, and mixed classes give you the opportunity to focus your angry energy into hitting a punching bag while also burning calories. These classes are often challenging, so you can use your anger to push through the obstacles. Focus on your breath, your technique, and use your anger to deliver powerful punches.
- Look for gyms nearby that offer beginner classes if you're new to boxing.
- Choose the right boxing gloves based on your weight and the circumference of your dominant hand using the size chart.
- Use your anger to add force and power to every punch by imagining the punching bag as the cause of your frustration.
- If you prefer not to work in a group, many boxing gyms offer private training sessions.
Cycle to ease your frustration. Cycling is another form of cardio, and you can use your anger to push through fatigue. You can cycle outdoors or join an indoor cycling class. If you choose to ride outdoors, the focus needed to cycle safely will help you forget about your anger. The advantage of indoor cycling classes is that they are led by trainers who guide you to focus and push through the challenges.
- If cycling outdoors, make sure to follow the rules and wear a helmet for safety.
Warning
- Always consult with a doctor before engaging in intense physical activities.
