Training as Therapy

           Someone once said, “Poor people don’t go to therapy. Poor people drink.” I feel this is a pretty accurate statement. When things were really bad for me, I did seek out counselling. My job offered this wellness program where anyone could go and see a shrink and they would pay for three one hour sessions. So I did my three free sessions and that was about it. I didn’t feel like a got a whole lot out of it (how can a therapist get to know you in three hours?) and I wasn’t any better for having been there.

           I know a lot of people turn to drugs as an escape. I live a pretty sheltered life. I wouldn’t even know where to score drugs if I wanted to but I cannot stand smoking and I have a nightmarish aversion for needles which pretty much rules me out as a drug abuser.

           I have seen the staggering downward spiral that drinking can cause and I want no part of it. I am not anti-alcohol or anything but I need a reason to celebrate if I am going to knock back a few beers. And it can’t be, “Hey, the day ends in ‘y’!” I’ve had the same bottle of wine in my fridge that I was saving for the season six finale of Game of Thrones.

           I knew I was serious about my training when I met some friends at a bar last month to socialize and I had water. Before you start with all the “L7 wienie” comments (Sandlot reference ftw!), I was sitting their calculating the calories and how beer is basically liquid bread. But I was there more for the company than the drinking anyway so it all worked out.

           I think people turn to drugs and alcohol because they hate their life. Truth be told, I enjoy my life very much. Why would I want to escape it? Still you have to find some sort of outlet for your stress. I have often said that I use things like Photoshop as my therapy. It appeals to my meticulous nature. I also do some painting and other artistic endeavors. Obviously writing is a great stress reliever. World of Warcraft helps. But at the end of the day, nothing has helped me deal with stress more than working out. The reasons for this are several.

           First, I go hard in the gym. I am talking dripping sweat and out-of-breath hard. For this reason, everything at my 9-to-5 seems easy by comparison. The stress of dealing with angry customers or inept bank officers is inconsequential compared to the strain of a massive deadlift. So it makes the stresses of my job easier to tolerate.

           Second, being physically exhausted certainly makes sleep easier to achieve and a good night’s sleep makes the next day a lot easier to face.

           Thirdly, stress can often be used as a fuel to reach new plateaus. The Dalai Lama often preaches about how hate destroys the vessel that carries it, so you vent that frustration by transforming that hate into one or two more reps. As your body begins to transform, those extra reps start generating joy.

           Yoda warned us fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. I think working out generates the opposite effect. Hate leads to reps, reps leads to transformation, transformation leads to happiness. Once you start to see those traps begin to develop and those abs begin to pop, you think back about all the hurt and pain you were going through and you actually appreciate the pain that pushed you to that next level. Then you admire the results of your hard work all the more.

           People often look at going to the gym as a chore or a task. I bound through the door with energy thinking, “It is time to go to work!” It all depends on how you look at things. Hopefully reading this will skew your perspective a little and make you look at that iron a little differently. Don’t look at it as an obstacle to conquer. Look at it as a tool to fashion you into a weapon.