Stress can be an incredibly powerful drag on your fitness and your health. Study after study has found that when you are stressed your body reacts physically and not in a very good way. Stress causes high blood pressure, tension headaches, upset stomachs, and much worse. When we feel over-matched, we sometimes forget to move our bodies in healthy ways.

Did you know there is an easy fix for over-stress? Regular and progressive exercise may be the most effective defense you can use to reduce that pressure. Say you are in the middle of a high-intensity interval sprint/jog workout. Are you thinking about being stressed? No! You are basically just trying to survive the workout. No, you don’t have to go berserk to fend off stress all you need to keep your stress in check is good quality, well-balanced exercise program.

Regular exercise is a panacea for people dealing with stress because those restorative endorphins (your body’s built-in happy pills) get released and make you feel good. It also gives you a chance to take your mind away from the problems in life and just enjoy the movement and the changing surroundings.

I don’t know about you but when I’m feeling overwhelmed it’s harder than ever to settle into a comfortable fitness routine. Sometimes it feels like just one more demand on already stretched time and attention.

When this happens, use these positive statements to re-frame your emotions and refocus your thoughts:

• I can control my reaction to a situation, even if I can’t control the situation.
• I am a good person and taking care of myself is a valuable and important priority.

Re-framing your thoughts during times of stress and replacing negative thoughts with positive affirmations will give you the lift you need to get up and get moving.

Negative thoughts sound like, “I can’t…”, “This is too hard…” and “I’ll never finish this…”.

Positive thoughts sound like, “I can do this!” and “I am strong and capable!” and “When I get through this, I will feel great!”

So reduce the pressure and do your body a world of good. Get moving and forget the outside world for a few minutes. Absorb those feel-good endorphins. You are worth it, and the results will be worth it, too.

LiveFit!

Coach Marc