So, You Had a Bad Day
So, you had a bad day and no I am not just a big fan of the song, although it is extremely catchy and has a wonderful melody, but that is not what I am here to talk about. Listen it is inevitable at some points and more then likely several points in your life you are going to have a bad day. Sure, bad days can come in all shapes and sizes, from being annoyed because the person in front of you did not pull out into the intersection far enough so now you must wait a whole other cycle at the lights, or because something happened at work or the home. Bad days are going to happen, but how you deal with bad days can make all the difference, and that is where getting in for a workout can help.
Most of time when people come in to workout it is because they have the goal of looking better, and there is nothing wrong with that, having a goal of being able to get back into your favorite pair of pants because they make your gluteus maximus look great is a perfectly acceptable goal to have. Of course, training can help improve your appearance and boost your performance on the field but working out can also be a key ingredient to boosting a bad day. Exercise has been shown to have several benefiting factors for your overall health and many of those themselves can help with the stress of having a bad day, some of those include improving the quality of sleep I think it goes with out saying if you are improving your quality of sleep, then you will feel more prepared to take on the day and all that comes with that day. Exercise has also shown to improve your ability to be more productive and more creative, boosting your productivity will certainly help at work and if you can be more creative than your problem-solving ability will receive a boost as well. Exercise has long been linked to improving confidence in a person, the more confident you feel can help you overcome those obstacles that can turn a day down a bad road. All these benefits have long been linked to being improved by exercise and can all help when it comes to overcoming a bad day, but one aspect I want to cover is the impact of exercise on a person’s mood.
Chances are you have experienced going out for a run or going into the gym for a workout when you are having a bad day and in turn have a poor mood, and after you come out of that run or workout you feel better. Exercise can be like a bad mood repellent, you can go in upset and come out feeling great. As you workout your body will naturally boost your production of serotonin, which is the neurotransmitter targeted by anti-depression medication and many believe this to be the key link to exercise improving a person’s mood. If we can have a positive impact on our brains transmitters linked to depression, simply by going for a quick workout or run or really any activity then we can turn what was a negative day back into something more positive. A person who is having a bad day, and in turn in a bad mood, will often have higher levels of anxiety and depression, and when we exercise during these times there is a positive impact on these centers within our brain, and it happens fast, exercise can give our brain almost instant satisfaction. Yet we tend to avoid working out when we are feeling negative, people tend to want only to just get home and just suffer through the rest of the bad day, so in other words people are avoiding the gym at a time when it can be the most beneficial to them, staying on track is of course important to your physical goals, but do not underestimate the impact a workout can have even on the worst of days. If you are thirsty you are going to drink some water and receive instant satisfaction, why not do the same thing when it comes to your metal state, in a bad mood, things went wrong at the office, need to clear your head, not sleeping well, then get in for a workout and turn that negative mood into a positive one.