stress and training

Look upon your training as a stress reliever as opposed to something that exacerbates whatever stress you may be going through at the moment.

Make training a priority. When things get crazy you will fell better if you go out and do something for yourself.
When you are stressed you need to back off on the intensity. You need to just ride or run or swim. Don't worry about speed or performance or even distance, that will come later when life is more sane. Let yourself train easy just make shure you don't stop completely or you will lose too much. Sometimes time off is good but don't let it happen too often.

I agree, if I'm exhausted from working out I worry about my stressors much less. One is good for the other.

On the other hand, you have to make sure that you have "paved the way" for the time that you are going to spend training and away from the family. Try to focus on your spouse and/or kids while you are at the house, and also make sure that you allow your spouse to have equivalent time away. I have found that pulling my weight around the house makes it much easier to get a few hours here and there to do what I want.

I use my training as stress reliever. But definitely work at less intensity to take it easy when I need a breather from the rest of life. Going to the gym is fairly routine now, that if I don't go I get more stressed. When bushed, I overview my goals and re-examine my training plan and this usually gets me back into the frame of getting in a workout. Deep breathing exercies and meditation I learned from Zen help keep me centered and allow refocus during family/work stress to keep it going. Part of the toughest training when going for a tri seems to be the mental aspects on and off the field. Sometimes just getting to the "field" is the biggest challenge. If you miss a workout, try not to kill yourself, just get back out there. But working out definitely chills me out, or wears me out? But the time to myself seems to allow some personal reflection and recharge for more challenges in the real world.

I would definately have to agree here...
also try viewing it as an appointment- you wouldn't blow off a doctors appointment, right?

what helps me, is to have my workout bag w/me... that way i can go straight to the gym. i find it hard to leave to go to the gym once i get home.

good luck!

Edited by gr8brindle 2004-02-23 5:50 PM

I agree w/ Mac, for me training helps me to relax.

This user's post has been ignored.

SUIT UP AND SHOW UP.

Back in my bodybuilding days, this was what I practiced on the days I didn't FEEL motivated. I didn't go to the gym with a solid plan. I just WENT. And, once there, I tended to get a good workout in anyway. I'm finding it works now in my tri training, too. Of course I'm new at this, so we'll see.

The other thing is LISTEN TO DRIVING MUSIC. Truth be told, I don't use working out as just a stress reliever. I use it to funnel my energy from repressed anger and frustration. I'll listen to really hard driving music, and then, toward the end of my workout, I might switch to something happy or soothing. When I listen to music, I tune out all the other people and things that might get on my nerves otherwise.

It seems I'm one of the many who actually use my training as a stress relief from everyday stresses. The last couple of weeks I really relied on working out to keep me somewhat sane. I had a week of FDA compliance audit of my business, State tax audit of the last 5 years and a wife who is going to have our 3rd baby any day now, all this on top of the normal everyday stresses of owning your own business. Without the working out as a relief, I think I'd be in the hospital now.

Do any of you have the opposite problem - taking stress away from the workout and into work life, for example? I find that I am a little bit high-strung these days and wonder if it related to my workouts. I am a bit more agressive and intolerant of the folks I work with. On more than one occasion I have gone into the boss's office to "lay it all out" a bit.

Anyone else ever experience this?

Generally though I do think that I feel better, I eat better, I am more alert - but I do obsess over my training log!

David,

I was feeling wired and tense a lot last year when I overtrained. It was one of the warning signals that I ignored because I didn't know any better. I thought I was just getting extra energy from being fit! Eventually I lost my appetite and developed wicked insomnia. Now when I start feeling this way, I rest up until it goes away.
Jen

David, I recently experienced some of what you are talking about. I read up on overtraining. Classic symptoms. I notice the irritability and confusion before I notice the physical symptoms. Something about sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, etc etc...

Thanks for all the great replies. :-)
Training has not become that escape for me, yet. I am still in the transition of making a new habit an old habit and extinguishing the old habits all together. Confused, it takes approximately 8 weeks to condition a new habit and about 8 weeks to extinguish old habits. So my Sports Psych. books say. So, I still find it safe to run to a movie theatre with a tub of popcorn and a candy bar and a coke. Rather than going for a trail run. Your replies are helping me make this transitions. Thanks

I love the popcorn at the movies and it makes great recovery time after a hard workout. I finally got away from the candy and milkshake and sneak in some water, but I got to have my popcorn. Just started gettting it with no butter. It is tough to get used to but watching the wasit shrink is the motivator. Keep it up!

I'm log obsessive too! And you shold see the other site where I log my calorie intake and calculate my carb/fat/protein percentages vs my expenditure daily. GEEZ.

Edited by speedlee 2004-02-26 4:17 AM