- By Rupa Mehta

You’ve probably thought at some point (or a zillion points) in your life, “I’m just not in the mood to work out right now.” But what if you could verbalize the specific mood you’re in and then use your emotions as a tool to better understand, strengthen and nourish your body? 

In my new book, The Nalini Method: 7 Workouts for 7 Moods, I take the 7 most common moods my clients (and me) feel - anger, energy, stress, chill, happiness, doubt, anxiety - and match the mood to a workout that helps balance emotional weight.

Emotional weight is the weight of the words, sayings, thoughts, actions and experiences you have in your life that you carry on you just as much as you carry physical weight. Emotional weight is something you can put on whether you’re physically skinny, or physically overweight. We all have it and it either brings us down or lifts us up. 

Your mood reflects your emotional weight in the current moment. The beautiful thing about the mind/body connection is that it offers you a way to balance out emotional weight by doing something else that's healthy for you, moving physically. Once you own up to your mood and your emotional weight, you can then choose the right workout for how you feel and have an effective workout that gets you results. 

Ready to test it out? 

Below you’ll find one move for each of the 7 moods. Get all seven complete workouts by purchasing the book, in stores and online! Plus, for the month of January, FitReserve members will receive a Mood Food Snack Recipe Bonus once the purchase their copy of the book (click here for details)!

1. Anger

When you are angry, you are drawn to working fast and high reps. This exercise annihilates your core and allows you to tap into your adrenaline.

2. Energy

Tap into your energy to stay in constant motion. Use your energy to move, move, move!

3. Stress

Meditative poses like this one allow you to stretch your body in a supported way, just like you need to stretch your mind and move the stress out!

4. Chill

This signature L-Shape Nalini move is a favorite of our clients. You will challenge your glutes and outer hips all while laying down. (Watch a video of the move here!). 

5. Happiness

Tricep dips with twisting claps is a breezy and cheer-enhancing routine!

6. Doubt

Tap into your quiet physical strength - your inner warrior - to build your emotional confidence.

7. Anxiety

Take all that frenetic energy and focus it on finding balance, physically and emotionally with Warrior 3 Leg Lifts.