Climbing Workouts At Home to Battle COVID Stress

Like most of you we have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions. We find that we spend days on end at home with little social contact outside of our immediate family.  All of our classes are online.  Dorm life is very limited. Our climbing gym was shut down, then it reopened, and now it's shutdown again.  It sucks. 

Our RockClimbingUnleashed small business endeavor has offered some nice relief as we can get out into the garage to test new product ideas or build inventory, and fill orders.  

But what's also nice is being able to use our own products to keep our climbing strength up and also relieve stress.  

Stress relief through workouts is a real thing.  We found articles and studies from reputable sources like the Mayo Clinic, Psychology Today, and the National Institute for Health, that suggest a home workout regimen, which includes climbing workouts, helps the body produce endorphins (and also enkephalins) which are the body’s natural feel-good hormones. These hormones can alleviate feelings of isolation, depression, or anxiety, and improve your mood.  The articles state that the simple act of focusing on exercise can not only improve your physical well-being, but also give us a break from current concerns and damaging self-talk.

So let's get up and go exercise! 

Any student paper wouldn't be complete without citing our sources.  

1. Gingell, S. (2018, March 22). How Your Mental Health Reaps the Benefits of Exercise. Retrieved November 26, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-works-and-why/201803/how-your-mental-health-reaps-the-benefits-exercise
2. Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms. (2017, September 27). Retrieved November 26, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495
3. Is It Important to Perform Physical Activity During Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)? Driving Action for a Correct Exercise Plan; Valentina Natalucci, Vittoria Carnevale Pellino, Elena Barbieri, Matteo Vandoni; Front Public Health. 2020; 8: 602020. Published online 2020 Nov 2. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.602020
4. Exercise for Mental Health; Ashish Sharma, Vishal Madaan, Frederick D. Petty; Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2006; 8(2): 106. doi: 10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a; PMCID: PMC1470658