Exercise for Stress Management, Interview with Hande

Unlocking the Power of Exercise for Stress Management: Insights from Kathie’s Coaching Podcast

In today’s fast-paced world, stress has become an unavoidable part of life. Whether it’s work-related burnout, personal obligations, or simply trying to balance everything on our plates, managing stress effectively is essential for overall well-being.

On a recent episode of Kathie’s Coaching Podcast, Kathie welcomed personal trainer and wellness expert Hande to dive deep into stress management and the role of exercise in reducing stress.

Hande, a personal trainer with over a decade of experience, specializes in helping women at various life stages, from prenatal and postnatal fitness to menopause and orthopedic recovery. She is also a mom of two young kids, which gives her firsthand experience in balancing fitness, work, and parenthood while managing stress effectively.

This episode unpacks how stress impacts our lives, the difference between positive and negative stress, and how exercise can be a game-changer in managing stress, especially in the workplace. Let’s break down the key takeaways from this insightful discussion. (Blog Post Continued below….) (Entire transcript at the bottom…)

Understanding Stress: The Good and the Bad

Stress isn’t always negative. Hande highlights that stress can be classified into two types:

Positive Stress (Eustress): This is the kind of stress that motivates us to achieve our goals, develop new skills, and push through challenges. It fuels growth and resilience.
Negative Stress (Distress): When stress becomes overwhelming and chronic, it can lead to burnout, anxiety, fatigue, and even physical health issues like headaches and poor sleep.

In today’s world, chronic stress is a major issue, particularly in the workplace. Studies show that 60-70% of employees report experiencing burnout at some point in their careers. Long-term negative stress can impact mental clarity, decision-making, and productivity.

The good news? Exercise is one of the most effective ways to counteract these effects.

How Exercise Helps Combat Stress

Hande explains that exercise is a powerful stress reliever due to its physiological effects on the body. Here’s how it works:

Boosts Endorphins: Exercise increases the production of endorphins, the “happy hormones” that improve mood and reduce stress levels.
Regulates Cortisol: Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone. While it’s useful in short bursts (such as in fight-or-flight situations), chronic high levels of cortisol lead to fatigue, weight gain, and poor sleep. Exercise helps lower cortisol levels, bringing balance back to the body.
Improves Sleep: Better sleep quality is one of the biggest benefits of regular exercise. Lower cortisol levels mean longer, deeper sleep cycles, leading to increased energy and better focus throughout the day.
Enhances Mental Clarity: Exercise improves cognitive function, helping you focus, make decisions more efficiently, and reduce anxiety-related brain fog.
Builds Resilience: The discipline and routine of regular exercise translate into other areas of life, improving self-discipline, patience, and emotional resilience.

Finding the Right Type of Exercise for Stress Reduction

Not all workouts are created equal when it comes to stress management. Hande breaks down different types of exercise and their benefits:

Yoga & Breathwork: Ideal for calming the nervous system, reducing anxiety, and promoting relaxation. Even a few minutes of deep breathing can help regulate emotions and heart rate.
Strength Training: Helps build resilience and confidence while reducing stress. Strength training also helps counteract the effects of aging, particularly in perimenopause and menopause.
Cardio & Walking: Activities like brisk walking, jogging, or cycling increase endorphin levels and help clear the mind.
Boxing or High-Intensity Workouts: Great for releasing pent-up emotions and frustration in a healthy way.
Dance & Movement: Sometimes, the best approach is to simply start moving to music and let the body dictate what feels good.

The key takeaway? Surrender to what is.

Don’t force yourself into a rigid exercise plan that doesn’t work for your lifestyle.

Instead, listen to your body, find activities you enjoy, and embrace movement in a way that feels natural to you.

Incorporating Exercise into a Busy Life

As a mom, Hande understands the challenge of finding time for workouts. Her advice? Make it work for you.

Workout with Your Kids: Children can be the best workout partners! Simple activities like squats while holding your child or doing push-ups together can make fitness a fun bonding experience.
Prioritize Movement Over Perfection: It’s not about having the perfect 60-minute workout. Even short bursts of movement throughout the day can make a difference.
Be Flexible: Some days, your planned workout might turn into a stretching session, and that’s okay. The goal is to keep moving in whatever way feels right that day.

Exercise Strategies for Stress Reduction in the Workplace

Given that burnout is a widespread issue, incorporating movement into the workplace is essential. Hande shares practical ways to promote exercise in a corporate setting:

Encourage Walking Meetings: Instead of sitting in a conference room, take a walk while discussing work topics.
Create a Dedicated Wellness Space: Companies can provide a designated area with yoga mats and light weights for employees to use.
Offer Gym Discounts: Employers can support employees' well-being by providing discounted gym memberships or in-house personal trainers.
Schedule Stretch Breaks: Short 5-minute movement breaks can improve focus and energy levels throughout the day.
Hydration & Movement Pairing: Every time you get up to grab a drink of water, take a few moments to stretch or move.

The Ripple Effect: Discipline, Mindset, and Overall Well-being

One of the most powerful takeaways from the podcast episode was the impact of discipline. Seeing a fit person isn’t just about their physical appearance—it’s about their dedication to consistently showing up for themselves. This discipline extends beyond fitness and into every aspect of life: relationships, work, and personal growth.

Surrendering to the Process: Rather than resisting change, embracing the flow of life makes stress management easier.
Practicing Kindness: Being kind to yourself and others is a key component of wellness. Fitness isn’t about punishing yourself—it’s about showing up for yourself with love and care.
Finding Your ‘Why’: Understanding why you want to exercise will drive consistency. Whether it’s feeling strong, having more energy, or reducing stress, keeping your ‘why’ in mind keeps you motivated.

Final thoughts and how to connect with Hande

Final Thoughts & How to Connect with Hande

Stress is an inevitable part of life, but it doesn’t have to control us. Exercise is a powerful tool for managing stress, boosting mental clarity, and improving overall well-being. The key is to find movement that works for you, surrender to what is, and embrace the discipline that leads to long-term benefits.

If you’d like to connect with Hande, she can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and her website www.handeerel.com

🔗Hande’s Website: www.handeerel.com
🔗Hande’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hande.bertelsen
🔗 Hande’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hande-erel-829517263/
🔗 Hande’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hande_personal_trainer/
For more insights on wellness, stress management, and corporate wellness programs, stay tuned to Kathie’s Coaching Podcast. Share this post with someone who could benefit from these tips, and remember—your health and well-being matter!

#StressManagement #CorporateWellness #FitnessForLife #MindsetMatters #ExerciseAndWellness

About the Author

Kathie Owen is a corporate wellness consultant, certified fitness trainer, and life coach with over two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. As the founder of Top Workplace Wellness, she specializes in helping individuals and companies improve engagement, prevent burnout, and create lasting wellness habits.

Kathie has designed and led successful corporate wellness programs, hosted health fairs, and coached countless clients toward better fitness and mindset transformation. Her passion lies in integrating holistic wellness strategies with cutting-edge technology to make sustainable health accessible for everyone.

When she's not coaching or leading workshops, Kathie enjoys sharing insights on leadership, communication, and workplace well-being.

Kathie Owen, Corporate Wellness Consultant and Fitness Trainer

Follow Kathie on Social Media

Transcript from today’s episode:

Hello and welcome back to Kathie's Coaching Podcast. Today, I have a special guest, my friend Hande. Today, we're going to talk about stress management, and exercise, and fitness, and how it all comes together, and how it helps. We're going to talk about how you can get into flow how exercise can help reduce stress. We're going to talk about the two types of stress, negative stress and positive stress. There is such a thing as positive stress and what it does for you and helps you to get into the exercise and into the fitness that works for you. Not a cookie cutter program. Hande is a personal trainer. She has been for over a decade and I'm really excited to introduce you to her. She's been on the podcast before, but let me tell you one thing about her. She's a mom of two young kids and she knows a thing or two about stress and training people. And so today, that's what we're going to talk about. Chronic stress is something that happens in the workplace. 60 to 70 percent of people in the workplace talk about having burnout from chronic stress, but there is a solution and we're talking about that today. Let's get into the episode.

Kathie:1:22

Welcome Hande. I'm so happy to have you back on the Kathie's coaching podcast today. We're talking about stress management and how exercise helps us, what we can do in the workplace for stress management. We've got the perfect expert to explain it to us today. So welcome Hande! Just give us a brief introduction about yourself and remind us especially for my new listeners who maybe haven't met you yet.

Hande:1:48

Thank you, Kathie. Thank you for your kind words. It's always a pleasure to be here on this platform and just love your energy. Generally what I can say about myself is my name is Haneral. I'm born and raised in Istanbul, split my time in various countries, including Spain. New York, Minneapolis, and I spent some time in Africa, some time in Denmark, and now I've been here almost the last six years in Barcelona, Spain. My journey to personal training started as an personal hobby as a kid. I always exercised. It was part of my life and turned into something more enthusiastic, swimming competitively. And that got me thinking of how do we do this? How does The human movement happened and I wanted to study more about it. So I studied that, learned basics on kinesiology, biomechanics of it, became a personal trainer and I've been working with a woman exclusively the past 10 years or so and trying to help women at every stage of womanhood from prenatal to postnatal to premenopause to menopause. including post orthopedic surgery recovery is something that I take pride and joy in doing. And throughout the years of continuous education, I've added some studies into incorporating exercise with other important components of being with lifestyle medicine and nutrition and also building community and all of these aspects into wellness so it can become more sustainable, attainable and more holistic approach to my clients.

Kathie:3:41

Awesome. We're going to get, I'm going to tell you right now you're in for a treat today because we're going to talk about stress management and how exercise comes into that. So Hande, before we get into that, tell us a little bit about yourself because, I know you have children. I don't know their ages. I know they're probably small and let's just face it. In the real world, we're busy people. That just adds to stress. I want to bring into to that the fact that you are a mom and how you incorporate that into your work life and then we'll get into stress management.

Hande:4:18

Oh, my gosh. I love this question. Honestly. Wow. I think because it's one of the most down to earth questions because having children is part of life for a lot of people. And I have two little ones age five and seven. And although fitness has been part of my life. My whole life. I'm 45 years old. I've been doing it without even knowing what it was for probably four decades now. And I continued I entered both pregnancies in top peak wellness and health. So that was one advantage I had, which helped my, I had easy breezy pregnancies as a result of exercise being part of my life. After giving birth, although the reason I'm giving this history about it, although exercise has been part of my life, although I know it's very important and after becoming a parent, looking after your body is very important. It's not luxury because the healthier you are, the more you can give to your loving family. I even had a hard time With when I became a parent first time finding time and energy and desire probably the first eight, nine months into my first born's life. And I tried to do it between his naps and it was adding so much stress because kids are unpredictable. 20 minutes into my workout, he may wake up and I would feel like. I was never having me time and it was very frustrating. Then I realized, okay, this can't be the it. I'm not the only one in this world who's a parent and life doesn't stop. You have to find ways to incorporate what you're passionate about and what's good for you and for your family while still being a parent. So I'm, and I started My change my mindset basically and I'm like this is a bonding moment That's I needed to surrender from me moment to me and my son Also, I said to myself, if I can really have a workout, that's bonus. If I get something just accept that. So I tried to surrender and accept the fact that my workout routine or duration or intensity may not be what I wanted that day. And I started working out with my son. I always say kids are the best dumbbell. They change every month. It becomes harder every month, and it's, and I started lifting my son, doing squats with him, walking lunges with him, doing planks with him, push ups with him, and fast forward, I had my second one, and I was more prepared, and both of my kids. Love exercise. And one of the first few words, maybe not the first 10, but first 50 words. Plank was in there. It is a struggle, but without stressing. With allowing yourself giving the permission to be like it could look different for a little while Then you find your rhythm Then your kids also know that and they want to join you or if they don't want to join you They know that's your time So then you can continue with that wellness journey of yours.

Kathie:7:52

Wow. Okay. That was a lot. And I love that because she touched on the fact that we get busy, we have a life that we're living and then We have something come up. Okay. And so in Hande's case, it's children. And what I love that she said that I really want you to take away with this. Cause we talk about this a lot on my channel is she surrendered to what is. And when she did that, if you noticed, she got into the flow, she got into the zone. And by doing that, she was able to do whatever she was able to do. And so today we're talking about stress management and I'm a mom. My kids are grown now, but my, I'm a mom. I, know that they keep you really busy and you have to be flexible, you have to be adaptable. And we really need to do that when it comes to stress management, when it comes to our mindset. So she also talked about mindset. So here's the thing. Let's put this like in, in The topic we're talking about today. We're talking about stress management. We're talking about time management too. If you think about it,

Hande:9:05

we're

Kathie:9:05

talking about taking care of ourself, setting boundaries. And. Let's get right to the first question I wanted to ask you today, which is, and this is going to be a real easy to jump into what is negative stress. And let's just put that out there and let's go with it.

Hande:9:28

Yes. Yes, there's positive stress, and there's negative stress which are essential part of this human experience. Negative stress is. So when you look at positive stress, it's been essential to human existence. Both of them with positive stress that gets you motivated that bill helps you build skills and that's where growth happens. It's the foundation for your purpose in life. In other words, so with that comes also negative stress and negative stress is also inevitable part of our existence that fight or flight mode feeling. kept us humans alive, not eaten by predators. But in the 21st century, when we don't have that kind of fight or fight fear going on and if it goes through long periods of time and we're in constant state of that becomes a problem. Then negative stress becomes a chronic issue and which leads to what we know. As burnout and today's fast based working world. Studies show that up to 60 to 70 percent of employees have reported one way or another in their career as burnout. And this is a big number 60 to 70%. We can't underestimate that. While no type of employment is exempt from this, studies show that mainly people who work in finance Tech or health care are more prone to reporting the negative impact of negative stress. So that is something we know, and we know there are a lot of ways we can combat this. And one of the best ways and sustainable way to do that is through exercise.

Kathie:11:20

Definitely through exercise. So how can exercise help? with negative stress and its adverse side effects, which is fight or flight and the stress hormone called cortisol, which too much release of that causes weight gain. It causes fatigue. So exercise, how can that help with this?

Hande:11:44

So one of the ways people can feel like, do a basic self check, do, before worrying am I dealing with constant state of negative impact? For example, body has its ways to communicate through us, which is usually pain. One of the ways it Manifest itself is that you might have physical symptoms, which is chronic headaches, constantly feeling fatigued while you may be sitting all day long, and you might feel like you just ran a marathon. Like what's going on? It has its impact negative. It takes its toll on our mental health from anxiety to depression. And worries of self worth. It has its impact on our focus and productivity and mental clarity. These are the signs we see. And through exercise, we know pretty much immediately two major hormonal changes happen. One of them is that the happy hormone aka endorphin Numbers go up. We want that up. Why, when, what does that mean? When it's up, it means you're happy. When you're happy, your negative stress, your cortisol levels are reduced. That gives you sense of, That gives you mental clarity. You may go through prioritizing on your never ending list what to focus. You may be not repeating or dwelling and making faster decisions, and you may not end up, decision fatigue is a real thing. Another thing we know besides endorphin going up is that cortisol levels go down. Cortisol level Keeping it in steady levels and low levels through exercise is essential component of our overall well being because when cortisol levels are low, you're feeling less anxiety, meeting a deadline at work or workload and getting overwhelmed, your heart rate is going faster, your eyes, your pupils are overwhelmed. Popping up, these will go, your body will start regulating itself. It will have a positive impact on your sleep and your sleep quality and duration of your REM, rapid eye movement will improve. You may end up having more than one or two circles of REM sleep when cortisol levels are back to normal. And all of these can be maintained on a hormonal level through exercise. Besides the The discipline that comes with self reliance and resilient that comes with exercise is priceless.

Kathie:14:25

Yes. Yes. So let me ask you what kind of exercise would you recommend for anybody to, because there's different kinds of exercise that will really get the endorphins kicking in. So what kind of exercise would you recommend?

Hande:14:41

That's really hard to answer, but to play it safe, we know that pretty much meditation and yoga works for everybody. Because breathing is a great way to regulate your heart rate and your emotions, and it instantly relaxes you, right? So I would say across the board, it's pretty much safe to say it's good for everybody to be doing yoga, meditating, breathing exercises. These are great. Some other exercises for some people like boxing is the way to go. If they have so much emotions piled up, they have anger and they want to latch out, punching something that is legal sometimes is the way to go. If you, on the other hand, if you're perimenopause, or in menopause state too high, too much high intensity increasing cortisol levels may not be the way to go. Every case is unique, but generally, common sense. is what I would say. Sometimes listening to good music and walking in fast pace could be the way to go for you, and sometimes even myself, for example, I wanna, I start the day thinking I'm going to have an intense workout. and the day happens. And I'm like that was wishful thinking. So let's come back to earth and see what we can actually do today. And I'm like, you know what? Before labeling it with anything, I'm just going to start moving. with the music that feels right. And then let's see where that goes if that just becomes like a stretching That's it. That's what my body wants and that's what's good for me Sometimes I start that way and it becomes a really nice workout. So again, surrendering But showing up is the key

Kathie:16:35

Yes, I love that. And I love how she answered that because as a personal trainer, that's why you hire a personal trainer so they can create a program for you because it's not Oh, just go do this kind of workout and you'll be fine and you'll get rid of the cortisol. She's right. And another thing that happens in menopause and perimenopause, is your bone density starts to decline. And so if you're punching something and your bones are not strong, you're likely to break something. And it's just, and that'll just spiral, you're out of control. So surrender to what is, we all can benefit from breath work and we all could benefit from yoga, stretching, and yoga can also tone your muscles as well. And so definitely. Take advantage of that because it'll be helpful. I want to shift gears a little bit and talk about tips for stress reduction through exercise in the workplace. So what suggestions do you have for that? Because we're corporate wellness and we're really wanting to help with stress reduction in the workplace. As you mentioned, 60 to 70 percent are suffering from burnout of some type, and exercise is a great solution to that. So let's talk about it.

Hande:17:59

In ideal world, I would love to see all the employees hiring a personal trainer and have it available in their facilities during lunch break. Period that would be the best investment for their employees wellbeing. Therefore, they will also enjoy the fruits of their investment in their productivity or build a designated room space with mats for people to be able to go and use it on. On their time off, whether they may be coming in half an hour before their work schedule or lunch break or after hours they could offer discounts on signing up to a gym or higher. wellness coaches on the wellness day celebrations in mess instead of offering happy hours. Maybe this is something they can hire and provide this kind of help for their employees. On a personal level, what can be done is that I always say anything counts. You don't have to be all in all out. When it comes to your overall well being, it's not about one day you can eat the best diet and then not good for the three days. Do a little bit of mixed But with consistency, I would say, and same rule applies on individual level, don't underestimate the power of taking two breaks when you're there, eight hours, five minutes to stretch, maybe first five minutes. If you only have five minutes, you can focus on upper body in a seated position. Second time you have a moment for five minutes. You can focus on seated leg, lower body stretches. You could think about having your meetings instead of online within the same component, the building compound. Maybe you can do a walk meeting within the facility. or outside premises if that allows. Get up any excuse you may have instead of dialing that number go to the, to your colleague and talk in person. Human contact and communication is also essential well being to, to our well being as well. Find every excuse you can to every time you get up, take a sip of water and that will also help you get up again. to use the toilet. So these are the little things. Or if your building is in the 10th floor and at the beginning, maybe you can set a goal by three months, six months, you want to be able to complete that 10th floor. Start maybe taking the first two floors, then get on the elevator or off, combine, and then see how you're progressing and take those steps. Literally baby steps. It works.

Kathie:20:47

And I want to go back to something that you talked about. So let's say we start to have that program. Remember how you said the discipline helps with the, it helps release healthy hormones. And let's talk a little bit about that before we wrap up real quick.

Hande:21:04

The discipline and it helps on a overall bit. Yes, because I always say when you go to the gym or in the street, when you see a fit body, whatever that is to you, it's very subjective for a lot of people, right? I always encourage people to look it up. Think what about this person. It's just more than the looks what you should be admiring is that This person showed up consistently It's a it takes a discipline and dedication To see those results. So next time you see a fit person Think about that strong mindset and personality for showing up To that. It's it's really powerful. And once you can have that kind of respect to your own well being to yourself, imagine how in other areas of your life you show that discipline and apply that care that you show to yourself. Maybe you're more patient with your kids. Maybe you are working more productively, But that sport enthusiastic mindset is applicable to succeeding in any aspect in your life, whether it's your career or your personal relations.

Kathie:22:28

She hit on something really important there, that the respect of that discipline, that take, that's the mindset, okay, and then she also talked about surrender at the very beginning, you surrender to what is, and you're kind to yourself, and honestly, interweave something in through all of this, it's kindness. It's just simple kindness to yourself, kindness to others, and it brings you back to why you want to even exercise in the first place. Your why is what's going to drive you to have the discipline. Your why is going to drive you to be kind to yourself. Your why is going to drive you to find your flow. And All of those things together will have this ripple effect that'll go out to your entire world and make your little dent in the universe, I like to say. Before we go, I'd like for us to talk about how we can get in touch with you, Hande and maybe, what platforms you're on how we could even work with you if somebody was watching today and they're like, I got to work with Hande. so much. So tell us.

Hande:23:39

Oh, thank you. I can be found in social media platforms such as LinkedIn Facebook, Instagram, and I do have my own website handeerel.Com, and you can contact me through there. You can reach out in any format you want, basically.

Kathie:23:58

Okay, awesome. And I have to say, I found Hande on LinkedIn and she's got some really good content on there and I've seen her in some speaking engagements and she's like a pro. I'm just saying, she's she got it. She's very good. So on every video that I do, I include a blog post. It will be in the description and show notes below. And also inside that blog post, there'll be bonus resources. Definitely be resources where you can find Hande. All of her links will be there. And I invite you to follow her on her social media platforms. And also to go check out her website. And I promise you she'll be back. If you have any questions for Hande you can leave them in the comments below or just drop them on our social media at either my social media or Hande's social media. We both would be happy to assist you. Alright, that's our episode for today. I trust that you found it helpful. If you know somebody who could benefit from this, share it with them. And until next time, we'll see you next time. Peace out and namaste.

Hande:25:07

Yay!

The Exercise-Stress Connection: What Your Body's Been Trying to Tell You About Workplace Burnout

Unlocking the Power of Exercise for Stress Management: Insights from Kathie’s Coaching Podcast

Watch the video here:

Listen to the podcase episode here: