How You Exercise Impacts Your Mental Health—3 Surprising Findings From a Movement Therapist

Im an Exercise PhysiologistHeres Why You Shouldnt Worry About Cortisol Spikes When You Do HIIT Workouts.

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Heres What Experts Had to Say

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It also shares learnings from Hornthals years as a dance/movement therapist.

dance and movement therapist

Most of our communication is nonverbal, she says.

woman sweating in the gym

dance and movement therapist

Its sensations, its experiences; taking in information through the body creates those thought patterns and habits.

How much space am I taking up?

Whats the rhythm of how Im moving through the day?

Woman walking on a treadmill at the gym.

Heres What Experts Say

Full body female athlete in sportswear using rowing machine during fitness workout in gym.

Take running, for instance.

Even yoga can lead to anxiety, Hornthal says.

Its not the practice, its the execution.

Happy woman dancing and listening to music near a green empty wall outdoor in the city.

dance and movement therapist

How do you know if your current fitness routine is detrimental to your mental health?

The same logic applies on an emotional level, she says.

We dont have movement at our disposal, or were like Im not free anymoreI cant do that.

Healthy female training in the gym, performing a hip thrust.

So having a robust movement vocabulary is literally building the embodied dictionary we carry with us.

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A young black woman doing post-run stretches in the park on the road amidst green grass and trees.