Stress has a bad rap.  The right amount of stress at the right time, however, is key for our survival, our growth, and our happiness.  A stressful event triggers our body’s stress response.  The response ranges from jolting us into action in a life-threatening emergency to driving us to reach our goals and tackling our to-do lists.

The stress response is also the mechanism by which the body gets stronger as a result of all of our hard work at the gym.  The barbell is the stressor applied to the body.  In response to repeatedly and consistently enduring the stress of more and more weight and reps, the body adapts by getting stronger.

If getting stronger (along with all the health and aesthetics benefits that go along with it) is the goal, we know we have to keep increasing the weight or the reps (i.e. the stress) to get results. We come back to the gym to train day after day, adding a little more.  Each workout we test the body to see if it can withstand more this week than it did last week.  If we are successful, we record our PR, high-five our workout partner, and maybe post a selfie.  But we’re not done. We’re already planning how much more stress we’re going to add next time or we’re looking forward to what else our trainer has in store for us.  Whether or not we’re successful, we are planning on doing it again and doing more.  We’re never mad at the barbell. We return to it willingly.  We don’t wish it away, until it’s time for a well-deserved rest to avoid burnout.

Is it possible to see life’s stressful events the same way?  What if life is our training program, ever increasing in difficulty (with occasional recovery breaks) to illicit a response, a change? Are the stressful situations or people we’re dealing with just today’s challenge?   Maybe it’s a test of our endurance and strength or a drill to improve an area of weakness.   Are we angry that we have to deal, are we wishing it was over?  Or can we respond in a way that leads to our growth and happiness?  Can we welcome the training that life has planned for us day after day?

Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with clients in classes and one-on-one.  She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email Alicia@AliciaCrossTraining.com.