How do you ladies deal with stress? I've noticed that these past couple of days I have been completely unmotivated to eat well or exercise. I've had a lot going on and fitness is unfortunately taking a back seat. Way back. Like stuffed in the trunk.
I deal with stress by using the exercise to relieve it. I know that it cn be easy to say that there is to much happening to focus on weight loss, but hust for the time being. Pretty soon you lose the motivation all together. So instead of putting the weith loss on the back burner, use it to release the stress all together. When you do your cardio, push just a little harder to expel the stress. Use the weight training to push the stress out of you muscles. And when (or if) you get the feeling that you have no control, take control of your eating, because you will feel empowered to take control of all the other stressors.
I exercise, but at that point its totally not about weight loss - its just about I NEED to do something to work it off. I prefer cardio. That elliptical is HURTING when I finish with it after a bad day.
Sometimes when I'm stressed I just grab my i-Pod and go for a walk. It's nice to get away from it all and clear my head. The music really calms me down too.
When you're really stressed out, just don't put so much pressure on yourself to lose weight. The last thing you need is more stress, and it'll probably end up backfiring. (In my experience anyway!) It's OK to maintain for a few days while you get things under control.
I wish I was like these other women who would just go and exercise, but when I'm stressed, I go to my husband and cry, and cuddle. When I'm mad, that's when I exercise. I was absolutely livid today, so I went and ran my butt off!! But stressed.... I go and cuddle with my wonderful hubby.
I learned some relaxation techniques a while ago that help me. There's this one where you tighten groups of muscles and then relax them. Another is called progressive muscle relaxation. If you are interested you could google them, since I don't think I'd do a good job of explaining.
Deep breathing and yoga make me feel better as well. I have a "relaxation" yoga DVD.
I know I'm supposed to say I run it off, but then I just get tired and sore and even more stressed the next day. Instead I do things like take a bath, paint my nails, or watch funny videos--I think it's physically impossible to worry while watching the Colbert Report
I'm another who gets out and exercises - i tend to find i don't get stressed a lot anymore as regular exercise is a great stress manager BUT if i do, then a good run usually fixes the problem. All those happy endorphins case away the nasty stress!
Those time when I feel the least like working out are the times I feel the absolute best after I finish
If I dont feel like exercising I get out of my house and go to Barnes and Noble. I read read read. I get health books, computer books, magazines, anything to take my mind off of what is bothering me. Also yoga is a great stress reliever with out all the pounding from vigorous exercise...its very relaxing and calming!!
I was stressed for the last two weeks, and this is what helped me.
BUDGET a treat into your calories for the day. For me, it was a peanutbutter chocolate banana berry smoothie. (1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 banana, 1tbsp peanutbutter, squirt of chocolate syrup). It tastes gloriously naughty, but isn't all that unhealthy, just fairly high in calories (but filling). So I'd eat a light lunch and budget my smoothie in.
So I'd try to get as much as I could out of the way...studying, bills, whatever. Then I'd go nuts at the gym listening to loud music. I'd tear up the elliptical or treadmill, lol. For about an hour until I was just about to drop. So that wore all the frustration and stress out of me. And then I'd get to go home, take a hot shower, curl up in front of a movie, and "indulge" in my budgeted treat.
How do you deal with stress...?
When I'm mad, that's when I exercise. I was absolutely livid today, so I went and ran my butt off!! But stressed.... I go and cuddle with my wonderful hubby.
