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Stress-Busting With SweatsAndTheCity

Photos: Courtesy of SweatsAndTheCity

The duo behind SweatsAndTheCity open up on how they de-stress, unwind and stay centered.

What are your favorite ways to de-stress? What physical activities help you to do that?

Elizabeth: There’s nothing better to me than a good sweat. A hot yoga class where I can really zone out and clear my mind is one of my favorite ways to de-stress. You just leave feeling so much better than when you arrived!

Dale: I’m also a big fan of hot yoga, and definitely feel the difference in my stress levels once I get out of there! I also find a long walk with my headphones in really helps me to destress and zone out. It’s one of my favorite forms of self-care.

What is your nighttime routine? How do you unwind after your day and prepare for bed?

E: I like to get into bed as clean as possible: showered, fresh clothes and teeth brushed. From there, what I do really varies on the day and the time that I have to be up. Sometimes I will listen to a meditation recording or sometimes I’ll read a book. Reading puts me to sleep quite quickly.

D: After I’m all washed up, I always get in bed and read. I also try to always put my phone on airplane mode the second I get into bed. It’s so much better not to be stimulated by your phone when you’re trying to wind down.

When you find yourself feeling overly stressed, how do you combat that? What tools do you keep in your pocket to find relaxation?

E: In the moment, the best thing I can do is focus on my breath — inhaling on a five count, holding for five seconds, and then exhaling for five seconds. This really helps me feel grounded, and much more able to take on a stressful situation without reacting.

D: I find I just need to talk it out with someone and I’ve gotten so much better at this. Whether it’s a friend, my parents, my boyfriend or my sister, bringing awareness to whatever is stressing me out by talking to the people I care about is very helpful for me.

How do you use your platform to encourage others to prioritize their wellness?

Both: We make “wellness” realistic and attainable. We started our platform with the goal of giving our perspective on health and fitness, and in doing so, we share raw details of our day-to-day lives, getting real about the good and the bad. We don’t eat healthy 100 percent of the time, and we’re not always working out. But we still manage to feel good and maintain our wellness practices, and we hope this is a contagious feeling our followers pick up on!

For beginners, what types of exercise is good for managing stress? 

Both: Pilates! First, starting off with a good, restorative reformer class is a great way to ease into the workout itself. We find pilates just feels so good on our bodies. We come out of class knowing we took an hour to do something great for ourselves and that helps with stress right there.

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