I had the incredible opportunity to work with a local Psychologist as a panelist for a course titled "A Holistic Guide to Managing Anxiety". We got to talking about how we all learn to manage anxiety differently. I thought I would share a little bit of my background and how fitness has been a holistic approach for me and my experience with anxiety.
Photo previously taken February, 2020 at SoulCycle La Jolla. We raised $2,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego for a Black History Month Ride.
Fitness is much more than working out to look a certain way. I have learned through my education and my own personal experience that fitness is an outlet to feeling your best, strongest, most grounded self.
The impact of fitness on mental health has become so clear to me over the years. To give you a little background of my personal journey, I was a pretty anxious kid growing up. I am a recovering perfectionist, people pleaser, and I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I stressed myself out about everything back then and was known for sweating the small stuff. Even with the support of my family, it was often a struggle to calm myself from the frequent anxiety attacks and constant worry I felt. Competitive cheerleading was how I learned to manage my anxiety. Cheerleading kept me out of trouble, allowed me to stay active, creative, and taught me how to be part of a team. After 10 years...of practices, learning new skills, and competing...I was devastated that injuries had prevented me from auditioning for my dream college cheer team at San Diego State.
Anyone who has had to give up a sport, hobby, or even career might be familiar with the identity crisis that follows this type of early retirement. It can be tough feeling like you’re navigating new chapters of your life without the same support and routine you had prior. I quickly realized that for my own mental health I needed to find a healthy way to take care of myself. My freshman year of college I traded in my old cheerleading shoes for some spin shoes... and clipped in to teach my first indoor cycling class.
After seven years of teaching spin classes, I still feel such a high after finishing my workouts.. Group fitness IS my team. Finding a community of people who support you to be the best version of yourself is my favorite part about working in the health and fitness industry.
Okay besties, let’s talk about something I genuinely believe: fitness is my therapy. Not in the “skip actual therapy and go take a spin class” kind of way but in the sense that moving my body has always been one of the best ways for me to take care of my mind, too.
You know those days when your brain has approximately 47 tabs open? You’re stressed about work, overthinking a text, making a mental grocery list, wondering if you forgot to respond to someone, and somehow also thinking about what you’re doing next Saturday? SAME. Sometimes I just need to get out of my head and into my body.
That’s what movement does for me.
It helps me shake off stress. There is something about sweating, walking, lifting, cycling, dancing, whatever it is, that gives all that extra anxious energy somewhere to go. I can walk into a workout feeling completely overwhelmed and walk out feeling like, okay… maybe everything isn't actually that serious.
It makes me feel happier. We all know that post-workout feeling when you’re like, “Wait… I actually feel GOOD?” Exercise can help boost those feel-good chemicals in your brain, but I think there’s something else happening, too. There’s a little confidence that comes from keeping a promise to yourself. You showed up. You moved. You did something for YOU.
And it doesn’t have to be some insane 60-minute workout. Sometimes my “workout” is a walk around the neighborhood while I listen to music or call my sister. Sometimes it’s stretching on my floor. Sometimes it’s dancing around my apartment like I’m headlining Coachella. It all counts.
It also gives my brain a break. We are SO overstimulated all the time. Phones, emails, work, social media, notifications, group chats… our brains never really clock out. Getting outside for a walk or putting my phone away for a workout gives me a little pocket of time where I can just be present. No productivity required.
And honestly, the community is a huge part of it for me. Some of my favorite memories have nothing to do with how many calories I burned or how heavy I lifted. They’re the post-class coffees, the walks with friends, the laughing in the locker room, the “okay one more song!” moments and the people I’ve met because we all decided to show up and sweat together.
But I think the biggest thing fitness has taught me is to appreciate what my body can do, instead of constantly worrying about what it looks like.
My body isn't a project I need to fix. It carries me through my life. It lets me dance, travel, walk along the coast, lift heavy things, ride a bike, hug my people and do all the things that make me me.
So no, I don’t work out because I think I need to earn my food or punish myself for what I ate. I move because I genuinely feel better when I do.
Some days I want to get stronger. Some days I want to challenge myself. Some days I just need to clear my head. And some days, the biggest win is simply putting on my sneakers and getting out the door.
Fitness isn’t a replacement for therapy or professional mental-health care when you need it. But for me, it’s one of the tools in my mental-health toolbox, and honestly, one of my favorites.
Sweat it out, take a deep breath, call your bestie, go for the walk. You might be surprised how much better you feel on the other side. ♡