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We’re halfway through @healthsquared Six Week Health Challenge, which is also partially sponsored by @sweetsssj and this week we have been challenged to document how we destress. If you are feeling stressed have a look at the challenges from the two previous weeks cooking and walking are both great stress relievers. Our bodies experience many different types of stress, be it emotional stress from work or relationships to physical stress through sports or exercise. I find that one helps the other but it is important to get the balance right. Some might say I have a stressful life, I balance a PhD, a part-time job, some freelance work, playing amateur Rugby, with Friends, family and a girlfriend, but I feel I manage to keep on top of it all and not become overwhelmed how?

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Physically stress yourself to rid yourself of emotional stress

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Tackling Samoans… Sore But fun

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You’ve had a bad week! Work is piling up and you’re fighting with your significant other. It happens to the best of us so how to combat it? Personally, I find that physical exercise can be a real release of stress, weather it’s hitting someone as hard as I can, legally ;), on the Rugby pitch or breaking PR’s in the gym, exercise helps you alleviate stress, aggression and also provides a nice boost of endorphins.

Around two years ago near the start of my PhD I found myself becoming unmotivated and lazy, and as such stress started to pile up, I was going to the gym but I didn’t have a goal in mind, having played Rugby when I was in school I decided to take it up again and I haven’t looked back since, starting off with the seconds team and working myself to get to into the firsts this year. There is a comradery in Rugby that I haven’t felt in other sports, you know that you are going out there and do battle with another team and you are gonna put your body on the line. You rejoice in your victories and wallow in your defeats and have a few pints with people you were kicking the crap out of an hour before. A little about my Rugby career, I play for NUIG RFC’s firsts, Galway’s first rugby club, as a second-row ( the tall guys that jump in the lineouts), I would say I’s well suited to the sport as I’m 1.98m and 115kg, I am by no means a flashy player but I hit rucks and make tackles but sadly I don’t score many tries.

The long fella at the bottom is me

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Along with playing rugby, I spend a lot of evenings in the Gym, mainly preparing my body for the demands of playing Rugby, I mainly focus on the compound movements, Squat, bench, Overhead press and deadlifts, along with some more explosive movements like power cleans. In future, I might write about my gym program.

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I normally stick to a 5x5 or 5x3 programs

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How to deal with the physical stress?

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My two besr friends

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So we have gotten rid of emotional stress through exercise. How do we recover from the physical stress that has been brought on by exercise? I have recently gotten into Yoga, I don’t attend classes or anything, my mum is a teacher and I kind of just do my own thing, so that keeps me at least a little bit flexible. I am also a big believer in foam rolling or Self-myofascial release. Self-myofascial release helps to relieve tightness and knots from muscles and allows blood flow to return to the area.

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I spend time with the foam roller to find tender spots, then use a Lacross ball to really get in there

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I spend at least half an hour before bed each night stretching and working on tight muscles before I go to sleep. On the subject of sleep, it’s very important to get 6 to 8 hours a night to let your body recover, along with supplying your body with enough calories and macro and micronutrients to keep healthy. I could get slightly better at this but I’m getting better.

Try it yourself

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• Some common tight areas (Source)*

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• Follow the above in any order
• I like to do this in the evening if I am watching TV or listening to an Audiobook
• Focusing on any points that are tender, to get in really deep use a lacrosse or tennis ball
• You can get foam rollers in pretty much any shop but you could also use some PVC piping
• For the Lacross ball, you can use a Tennis ball

Other ways I destress

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Of course, it's not just exercising and foam rolling that keeps me sane and mentally healthy, I also spend a lot of time socialising with friends, listening to music, reading and in the summer attending as many music festivals as I can afford.

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Tower of power

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Thanks for reading, Totes