Monday, January 14, 2013

Dealing With Stress (2/365)

What a day. Oh lord, what a day! I swear it was as if someone fed my son ( the 3yr old) a bowl of cocaine for breakfast! Seriously! He was running around, screaming, jumping, throwing, you name it, he did it. Its funny too because - and I'm not lying here- he's usually pretty well behaved. He's normally very content just sitting quietly and watching a cartoon or movie or whatever. But not today! He was an absolute terror!!! Needless to say, time outs were given repeatedly and along with constant scolding. And now? He's passed out on the couch next to me. Go figure!

So, I was babysitting today for my friend and also dealing with my terrorist son AND my 2 month old. Needless to say, I was stressed out to the max.  And then, something miraculous happened. Instead of turning to a chocolate bar, or cheese puffs, or the left over pasta in the fridge, I turned my attention to working out. In the middle of all this childcare chaos, I was longing to get to the gym as quickly as possibly. Somewhere inside of me - a place that has not been ignited or recognized for quite some time now - there was a burning need to just run and sweat and get lost in my playlist for an hour or so. I simply NEEDED that "Me Time". And that leads me to my topic for tonight's entry:

Dealing With Stress

People deal with stress in a number of different ways. Some people smoke cigarettes.  I used to do this! Then I got pregnant with Jeremiah and realized it was a good time to kick the habit for good. Some people turn to food.  I used to do this too! And admittedly still do from time to time, although I'm working on this. And some other people turn to exercise.  I USED to do this as well and I'm working on getting back to doing this. 

During my last weight loss journey, I realized that running was such a great stress reliever.  It gave me ample amounts of time to myself where I could just put one foot in front of the other, seemingly mindlessly, and think about things without being interrupted. And this is actually how I still see exercise. Not only is it good for me, not only is it helping me to lose weight, not only is it getting me closer to my goals, but it is ALSO a time for me to just turn my mind off and do what I do, without really thinking.

This is why I LOVE going to a gym. I love having this time period where I can leave my children in a safe environment, knowing they are well looked after, and I can just do whatever the hell I want to for an hour or so, without someone screaming at me to get them juice, or wipe off a table, or make them something to eat. Its a time where I can totally zone out, and as a mother of two boys under the age of 5, you don't often get a lot of opportunities to zone out during your day. 

So, for those of you out there who claim to HATE working out, think of it in the way that I have described above.  Think of it not as work that HAS to be done, but think of it as an opportunity to just do you. I don't care if you simply get on a treadmill and walk at a glacial pace for 20 minutes. Hey, its better than sitting on the couch and stuffing your face with potato chips, right? Instead of making physical activity seem like a job or a chore, make it seem like a treat or an escape from your day to day life. I promise if you do this, you will begin to love your work out time.  And not only that, but you will learn to RELY on it. And THEN you can be sure that you will continue it for a lifetime.

1 comment:

  1. I wake up at 9 in the morning and throughout the day do 5 workouts that are 30 minutes long. My eating is great until 9 o clock comes around; that I just want to binge. I am not hungry, I just want to eat and eat..The next when I gain .4-.8 I'm upset with myself bc I ruined eating bad things. I wish I could find a way to fix this. I was told to drink a protein shake for dinner that you will feel so full you won't want to eat. I saw one of your recent videos you made that you were drinking one; does leave you with that full feeling. If it does do you think I should take the advice use as a meal replacement for dinner.

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