I am a huge believer that exercise is a brilliant form of stress relief, just as this article discusses;
"A "whole" person is a healthy person: body, mind, and spirit. Mental stress from worry, tension, and anxiety tears down the physical body in measurable ways.
A little stress can put the body into high gear and cause one to be focused and efficient; too much stress causes chemicals (corticosteroids and adrenaline) to flood the body and harm it over long-term.
Daily stress produces tense muscles and a rapid heart rate. Chronic stress causes high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, and, eventually, depression.
Traffic jams, ringing telephones, constant noise, crying babies, long to-do lists, overwork, overextending oneself all add to life's expected stresses...."
Honestly, it doesnt matter how tired, ******, annoyed, stressed, exhausted, pissed im feeling...after a good work out I feel 100 times better then i ever did before..
Lilac, I am right there with you. Somehow, it always makes everything better and totally centers me. The hardest thing for me to do is work-out in the morning, though once I get into the habit, then it sets the stage for my entire day. I'm happier and feel so much more energized.
Aspire, can you set weekly goals for yourself and maybe even work-out with someone? If you can't physically work-out with someone, having a work-out buddy who you communicate with about your work-outs is equally as motivational. I work-out by myself, but have several friends who I communicate with about my weekly work-outs and hearing about their plan really gets me moving and puts a bit of pressure on me to work-out and keep up.