Through MANY seasons of my life, I have used fitness as a tool to cope with change, trauma, and heartbreaks.
To be completely honest, coping was how I originally got into fitness. I LOVED that I could control everything. There would always be a way to exercise and sometimes the only thing I could control was what I ate that day. If you listen to any testimony of “How I got into fitness” it usually begins with a pivotal moment in their life. This can be a job change, divorce, moving, graduating, going off to college, new roommates, really anything! Anything that made us feel out of control.
So let’s break down, why.
Why does it seem to help so many people get through a rough patch? Scientifically speaking; “Upon exercising, neurotransmitters like serotonin or norepinephrine help teach your body how to better respond to stressors.”
“Studies even show that low levels of both are linked to depression and anxiety. So, higher levels of those chemicals during exercise naturally make you feel good.”
Basically, it makes us happy! It can offer something to take the edge off and benefit us in the long run! Psychologically speaking; exercise can offer a lot of confidence-boosting benefits! When we carve out time for ourselves, we are telling ourselves that we matter!
Some of these benefits include:
- Improved mood
- Reduced stress as well as an improved ability to cope with stress
- Improved self-esteem
- Pride in physical accomplishments
- Increased satisfaction with oneself
- Improved body image
- Increased feelings of energy
- Improved confidence in your physical abilities
- Decreased symptoms associated with depression
While this is all wonderful, there are some things we should be mindful of. I’m speaking from my own experience here in hopes that someone will relate. (although I love to cite sources and provide scientific evidence, I also like to speak from the heart).
We need to make sure we are careful to avoid injury. Overtraining is one of the top causes of an exercise-related injury. It’s very common for old aches and pains to flare up as well! I have sciatic pain, and it typically flares up when I’m stressed and training excessively. Secondly, we need to be aware of WHY we are training. It is a slippery slope from exercising to be healthy and enjoying the benefits, to exercising to avoid our emotions. On that note, sometimes when we are feeling down we zoom in on our appearance and think “if I looked better, my life would be better”.
Although your HEALTH will improve, your self-esteem is something that truly has to come from within. Basically, what I’m saying is, that when we embark on a life makeover, it’s important to check in with ourselves. Ask yourself if your behavior is truly improving your quality of life, or are you just avoiding being YOURSELF?
To conclude, we want to better ourselves through fitness but not change ourselves. We need to analyze who we are at our core and why we find ourselves seeking these outlets. This isn’t to say we cannot do both! We can certainly dive into health and wellness while also building our self-esteem, or even grieving losses that lead us to that pivotal life change!
Alyssa Rimon, NASM, CPT.
For booking and info:
(775) 300-8959
alyssabowen2e@gmail.com
