I am lucky to have very loving parents whom I adore more than anything. They're always giving me great advice like "don't tackle too many big life events at once," "pace yourself," and sometimes "maybe you should slow down a little bit."

Honestly, I am horrible at following that advice, but they're right. Stress is a killer. At some point, even eustress - stress that is positively perceived and navigated with a positive outlook and a sense of satisfaction - is still stress, and too much of it is not a good thing.

It's very easy in life to find yourself in a situation where you've accidentally taken on too much. I think you have to actively, consciously fight for downtime and minutes of peace and quiet, really throw some elbows and push back, in order to create time for yourself to decompress and take care of yourself.

Working out has to be one of the most underrated coping mechanisms available to each of us. It clears the mind, keeps our health in order, and empowers us. Depending on what kind of training type you're putting yourself through, exercise can be invigorating, restorative, exhaustive, aggression reducing, soothing. You can make amazing things happen with your mood and body with exercise.

This Pilates Yoga Workout in particular is fantastic for times when you're feeling a bit run down, mentally, physically, or both. If you want to take care of your body with exercise but for whatever reason you're feeling mentally and physically whooped, this workout is respectful of the body and its need for rest. The stretches and light toning exercises get you moving and help improve circulation, without being overtaxing. If you feel like you don't want to stay still but lack the energy or desire to push your body through a more brutal high intensity interval training workout, give this calming workout a shot, and I bet you'll feel refreshed and relaxed by the time you're done.

Physical benefits of this workout

• Increased flexibility
• Increased circulation
• Improved mood
• Reduced stress
• Low impact; easy on the body
• Lessened back pain and/or tension

How often can I do this stretching workout?
You can do this yoga and Pilates blend as often as you like - even multiple times a day. If you start doing these stretches and exercises on a regular basis, you're likely to notice that you are becoming more flexible, and that back pain, stress, and aches are lessened.

What did you think of this freestyle stretching workout? How did you feel once you were done with the workout?