For a “newsie”… there is Election Day… then election results day… and then the election hangover. And when I say “election hangover”, I’m referring to the recovery process after the crazy hours we have to put in to get those results to you as soon as possible!
But this election year, I tried something new. Instead of going home and crashing each day, I went straight to the gym. I by-passed the treadmill and headed right to the weights.
Admittedly, I’m much more a weight-room girl than a cardio girl. I know how to push myself pretty hard. But with some extra stress on my shoulders from the elections??? I was REALLY ready to work it out HARD with the weights.
I walked out of the gym feeling rejuvenated and strong! What can be better than that after a stressful day?!
And while this tactic was new for me (as opposed to my usual post-election nap), weight training (or resistance training) to combat stress is hardly a new idea.
“Adding resistance training to your workout regimen may help handle stresses from outside the gym,” says Jerod Langness, Master Trainer with 24-Hour Fitness. “By focusing your energy into something that takes concentration and discipline, you can channel the stresses of everyday life into a great workout.”
And boy did I! I channeled that stress right through some tough workouts.
But let’s face it – ALL jobs have stress. And you have to be able to deal with it to be effective at work AND at home! Because work isn’t really over at the end of your shift, is it? Then there’s laundry to be washed, dogs to walk, floors to be vacuumed, grocery shopping to be done, etc.
Jerod says weight training can help you prepare for all of that… mentally and physically.
“By taking negative stresses that are often out of our control, and turning them into positive stresses that yield healthy results can keep your life balanced,” says Langness.
Balanced is a good word to describe how I’m feeling - post election and post workout! I think I’m going to stick with this plan… for the stressful AND non-stressful days.
