Fitness Tips: Anger & Fitness

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

23 Sep 2006 05:00 AM

Anger is a natural emotion and many of us feel it. In fact, not only do most of us feel it - many of us shut it down because we're told from a very young age that anger is a bad thing. Our religions tell us to not to do it. Our parents tell us to not to do it. Our relationship therapists tell us not to do it. We've known for years that anger is often related to health problems such as ulcers, acid reflux and other digestive problems. Let me be clear here, I am not a doctor so if you think you have a health-related issue such as those mentioned here, it's always best to see your medical practitioner about them.

Anger & Your Fitness

Recent studies have discovered that anger can be a major contributor to losing weight. In fact, there are many overweight individuals who have anger issues. Whether they are repressing their anger or are the victims of verbal and physical abuse, the intensity of the emotions causes a reaction in the body. If you don't find a positive outlet for the anger, you may reach for food as a comfort or disconnect from the anger and continue to create stress effects on the body. Stress is another major contributor to weight gain and can hamper weight loss.

Contrary to what most people say or think, anger itself is not bad. Most of the time, we cannot control how we feel. Our emotions are impulses in our system. How you cope with the cope with emotion and how you react to those emotions can be positive or negative. Anger can be inspiring. Do you think they were saying Remember the Alamo because they were happy about what occurred there? No, they were positively utilizing their anger to drive back the opposing army and to win a war for independence.

Embrace Your Anger

Don't suppress your anger and don't attack yourself with it. Don't mire yourself down in the guilt because you are angry. If you get mad at your child, that's okay. Our kids can really tick us off. Don't abuse them or yourself with that anger. Are you mad at your spouse? Okay. Be mad. It's okay. We're allowed to feel anger, sadness, happiness and joy. We're allowed to do that.

But use your anger to support yourself and to put it to positive use in both your fitness choices and your life choices:

• Set boundaries for yourself and for others, decide how you will be treated and how you will treat others; your anger is a positive way to say no to potentially destructive situations
• Use the anger to motivate yourself to hit the treadmill, go for a walk and keep up with your fitness program
• Use your anger to express outrage legitimately express outrage and to do something about it
• Use your anger to defend others and yourself and to make things happen -- repairing social injustice can go a long way towards channeling your anger positively
• Use your anger to help you confront old emotional wounds, don't just be angry about what happened, but deal with it and don't let it keep hurting you anymore
• Empower yourself with your anger by taking control of your life and your choices

It's not about being angry, it's about what you do with the anger.

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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Megan Bayliss (3586) 23 Sep 2006 05:23 AM

"It's not about being angry, it's about what you do with the anger." Touche! Anger is fine, it's the behavior that people use while they're angry that becomes problematic. Anger is also a secondry emotion which means there are primary emotions pushing the anger up. I guess in terms of weight, it could be that weight is the secondary product of creating a barrier to holding other stuff in??? The more you hold in - the more you push the scales up. It's certainly a theory bandied around all the time in social science circles. Really good blog, Heather. I liked it.

Heather Long (16954) 23 Sep 2006 12:09 PM

Thanks Megan! I appreciate your comments and your thoughts. I know that anger can be a powerful motivator --if you channel it positively!