You pressed snooze too many times this morning and you're now running late to the gym. You realize your shirt is on inside out and you forgot your water bottle. You have a big presentation at work today, not to mention the house is a mess and you have friends coming over tonight. You forgot to meal prep for lunch and only grabbed a bar on your way out the door. You have a massive pimple on your forehead and forgot to put deodorant on this morning.
Well, my friend. We call that STRESS. It's inevitable. We all experience it. But, how you are able to better manage it is the key to waking up with less on your shoulders (and maybe your shirt on right).
So, you now have one hour to “de-stress” in your workout, but all you can think about is how stressed you are. Isn’t physical activity suppose to help your stress? Well, yes; exercise produces endorphins - the feel-good chemicals in the brain that act as a natural coping mechanism for pain and stress. These hormones also help to promote restful sleep, in turn further reducing stress. But what's more important: sleeping in and missing your workout to get a few extra ZZZ’s or fewer ZZZ’s and getting your sweat on?
Before I dive further into this question, lets first investigate what causes stress.
Well, almost ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. We all handle stressful situations differently and it all comes down to two things:
I’d like you to get out a piece of paper, the notes on your phone or simply just think using that brain of yours. Write down the top stressors in your life. This may be work, relationships, finances, food, fitness, sleep, the news, social media, etc. Remember the goal isn’t “no stress,” but rather “know your stress.”
Start by picking one that you feel you can focus on and change. So, let's say you pick exercise. Now that you have identified what is a stressor for you, how can you reduce the level of stress it adds to your life? If you're stressing over how to simply start exercising, what's the easiest first step you can take right now? For some, this may be committing to walking five minutes each day and for others, this may be hiring a trainer so they no longer have to think about what they need to do other than just show up. They key here is to focus on making one small baby step at a time.
Let's dive into two main stressors many people experience...
1. FOOD: Do you often try to manage stress and just end up eating, then you stress out even more because of what or how much you ate? First and foremost, this is never something you should be ashamed of. There are times in your life where eating in response to stress may actually make you feel better (like the best pint of ice cream ever), and then there are times it can make you feel worse. Here are a few tips to think about if food may be a frequent source of stress for you:
Magnesium: almonds, avocados, black beans, buckwheat
Zinc: hemp seeds. legumes, cashews
Antioxidants: berries, turmeric, green apples, artichokes
Omega 3: walnuts, chia seeds, sardines
2. THE DILEMMA: EXERCISE & SLEEP: Verve is great, we know. You want to be here every morning whether you got a restful sleep or not. But, sometimes choosing the latter will actually be more beneficial in the long run. Coming into the gym already running on empty does more harm than good, making you more susceptible to injury, impaired recovery, hindered progress, brain fog and decreased energy.
Ask yourself this question: How would it feel to do one less day of HIIT or strength training and instead take a walk in nature?
Don’t want to miss a single day at Verve? We get it, so let's compromise:
Can you go to bed 30 minutes earlier?
Can you set a time limit on social media and TV before bed?
Have you tried a sleep machine like Hatch or a relaxing app like Calm or Headspace?
Making minor adjustments your nighttime routine can help you break bad habits in the evening and create better ones over time to help you achieve a restful night sleep.
Control what you can control so that stress doesn’t consume your life. Need more help controlling those stressors? If you're already apart of the Verve community, sign up for a Goal Review Session with one of our coaches (or a free No-Sweat Intro for non-members) so we can help map out a stress management plan around a healthy balanced lifestyle so you can get back to enjoying all the things you love to do!