Working It Out

Some people who know me claim I'm never in a bad mood.

My sister claims they must not know me very well.

I try hard to stay upbeat and optimistic, but I'm not perfect and they are plenty of things that will upset me or put me in to a funk. One such event happened occurred this morning.

But this isn't a post about getting upset. It's about what I do to deal with it.

After what happened this morning I could have sulked, cried, wallowed, or carried my bad mood all day. Instead I chose to go to the gym and work it out.

I'd just finished a 35 minute yoga DVD, my legs were tired from 5 days of skiing and snowboarding, and I had a lot to accomplish today. All valid excuses for skipping the gym; however, I had a strong reason to go: I'd feel far better afterward.

I threw myself in to a spin class and as the instructor told me to push myself, I did. The louder the music got, the higher I dialed the resistance, and the harder I pedaled, the better I felt. I channeled my emotions physically and as my body tired and my legs weakened, I felt myself letting go of everything. By the end of class, I no longer had the energy to care.

This isn't the first time I've used exercise to get over something and it certainly won't be the last. There's something cathartic about working out - perhaps it's that, regardless of how uncontrollable other facets of life may be, strength and endurance are earned. The harder you push, the easier things get. If only that were true of everything in my chaotic and unpredictable life.rr