It feels great to “blow off some steam” through exercise. In fact, exercise can be a way to sneak away from hectic days and take your mind off your stresses and problems. Can putting your body through extreme, strenuous exercise when you are angry can be dangerous to your health? Some people try to “encourage anger” or self-induce an elevated heart rate to be able to push harder with heavy lifts and reaching new max reps. A steady, consistent exercise routine may help you avoid being stressed out; deciding to exercise because you are mad or upset could put your body in a compromising position. Anger is an emotion that causes a spike in your heart rate and attempting to exercise will only increase the strain and workload of your heart.

Here are two tips to keep for days when your anger level is putting your health and heart at risk.

Stretch

For many, exercise is a way of life. On those days that your normal exercise routine is interrupted or missed, there is either guilt, sadness, or anger about this. If you go for it and find yourself preparing for a workout, but feeling your heart rate elevate with anger, try going through a stretching routine. Stretching gives you an opportunity to control your breathing and slow your pulse. You may not be pumping as much weight or dripping in sweat after, but you will be accomplishing some muscle maintenance and keeping your heart safe in the process. Yoga is a great choice as well. Your muscle groups can still be exercised and strengthened without putting any unsafe strain on your body.

Walk

Some reach fitness levels where walking is a thing of the past while others use walking daily as part of their health journey. Still some have moved to jog or run at the start of a workout or as a complete workout. On days when you aren’t quite feeling yourself and notice your temper getting the best of you, going for a nice calm walk could be the answer. Similar to stretching, taking a walk may not equal the typical workout results you expect, but it can still aid you and keep you on track for your goals. Walking helps you achieve some exercise, but helps keep your heart rate in a healthy range and avoids placing dangerous pressure on the heart muscle.

In both of the tips above, your body gets some time to calm down to a normal pulse rate and allows you to go into your regular workout in better shape than if you were still angry. After a stretching or walking session you may feel more like yourself. Keeping your heart rate in a safe range, allows you to move toward the exercise you scheduled. It is a great idea to keep a heart rate monitor or fitness watch nearby so that you can check your vitals and do not push your body over the max, especially when you are angry or mad.