Week 16 – The Sweet Spot Between Good and Bad Stress

On Friday morning, Mary told her coach that she was tired. 

Between a couple unexpected bills, a sick family member, and a big event coming up, sleeping has been difficult. 

With her stress levels through the roof, a sleep deprived Mary wasn’t motivated to workout.

“That’s okay,” her coach said, “Take it easy today. Sometimes stress is a good thing, but when it disrupts your sleep, mustering up the energy to exercise can be challenging.”

Mary seemed confused.

“When is stress ever a good thing?” she asked. 

Good Stress, Bad Stress

Coach explained that bad or negative stress will overwhelm you, wear you down, and be harmful to your health.

Bad stress is feeling swamped by responsibilities, overloaded by how much is on your plate. 

When this happens, you can address it by practicing stress reducing coping exercises, taking some things off your plate, or seeking help until you’re capable of handling it.

On the other hand, good stress has a positive effect on you. 

Working out is an example that places good stress on the body. This type of stress makes you stronger than before and helps you build the resilience to overcome the stress next time. 

Good stress can also be the excitement you feel for a new activity, like joining our program. 

However, too much of any good thing can be bad. In your workouts, you want to put the right amount of stress on your muscles (good stress) without going too far and causing excessive damage (bad stress).

Resistance training is a positive stressor on your body, but lifting too heavy too fast can be a negative stressor as it increases your risk of injury.

A coach will make resistance training safe and guide you through the progressions of lifting at a challenging rate. Progress too slowly and there won’t be enough good stress to overcome and achieve progress. Progress too quickly and you won’t be able to handle that amount of stress, sometimes to the point of injury. 

Handling Stress

Physical stress and mental stress are very different, but you can handle mental stress similarly to how physical stress is addressed in the gym. 

• Don’t be shy to ask for help (aka a spotter or coach)
• Only tackle what you can handle
• Surround yourself with others who support you
• Listen to your body

Sculpt Fitness is more than a place to sculpt your body. 

It’s a place to be challenged and grow both physically and mentally.