If you've ever been exercising and just wanted to break down in tears, you are not alone. This is because sometimes exercise may release a surprising slew of pent-up emotions.
Karol Ward, a therapist in private practice in New York City, weighs in on getting emotional while working out:
The body holds on to feelings, even if it seems the mind has dealt with them. So if a person has the opportunity to relax that area, whatever has been held there can come to the surface. The body wants to complete the emotional experience.
This may explain why some of us find a good hard workout at the gym a very liberating and stress releasing experience after a hardship in our lives. If you find yourself in tears, then it should not be anything to worry about (unless you are in pain of course). I will say, however, that I have not been moved (pun intended) to tears, but I would love to hear from anyone that has so share your stories in the comments section below.
Fit's Tip: Crying during exercise can be a great stress-reliever, but sometimes people need professional help outside of working out to deal with their own issues.
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Tom Tailor
I have never actually cried while exercising but it definitely helps me relieve some stress and to gather my thoughts.
1My husband was recently diagnosed with cancer, and it's been a whirlwind dealing with it all. I try not to cry in front of him because I feel like I need to be strong. The first time I got a chance to go running, which I desperately needed to do, I ended up crying because it was one of the few times that I got to be alone and do something to make myself feel better. Of course people looked at me like I was a freak, so I just bit my lip and ran harder and faster. It ended up being a really good run, and I felt tons better afterward.
2I'm with hottpink...Exercising is a great way to destress!! I think ever since I stopped going to the gym..I feel like I'm stressed all the time
3AMEN to that Fit! Even though I "feel" like not going to the gym because I'm having a rough day, I feel much better when I have. Damn those chemicals and hormones running through our body!
4chibarosa, my thoughts go to you and your husband.
Thanks for the kind thoughts - he's going to be just fine. And I'm going to run as much as possible. Going after work today, in fact, and looking forward to it.
5I've also cried during a run. But it was after a "semi-fight" with my husband (I call it semi because it was no big deal, but at the time I thought it was). So being the drama queen that I am, I put my running shoes on and just ran. It felt great to run and cry - I didn't know why, but now this makes sense. 20 minutes into my run my husband drove up beside me in the car and apologized. sigh.
Exercise is a great way to get rid of stress though. I agree 100%.
6After any fight with my boyfriend or stress at work, I definitely go running with some good music. It always seems to clear my mind so much better than anything else! Fifteen minutes and I'm off work, going home, charging the iPod and hitting the park. I can't wait.
7this happened to me just last week...i went for a walk, and about halfway through my route, i spontaneously broke down in tears! i hadn't realized how stressed out i'd become over the last couple of months...i wasn't even feeling it, i'd just gotten so used to it.
8I don't think I've ever cried when I run, but it does make me feel better. Sometimes, when I can't think of how to deal with my emotions, I'll go for a run to sort my feelings out and figure out what I'm feeling.
9I never cried while running but ive found it really does release stress.
10I had a fight with my boyfriend some months ago and went running in the woods, and just when i started running up a hill I saw a boulder by the rocks and it was literally like someone pulled a switch - I sat on it and cried like crazy. Good thing we resolved it pretty soon after that.
11I cry post work outs, my life tends to be stressful and I carry it all in my body and once I've just pushed myself to the limit I feel so vulnerable, it kind of drives me crazy but I'm glad this was posted so I know now that I'm not totally nuts.
12Ooo, totally. A good run on a bad day is sometimes better than crying about it. It feels good and powerful.
13This doesn't happen to me during cardio or weights but it definitely does at times during a Body Balance class (it's a combo of tai chi, yoga and pilates). All of a sudden I have the urge to bawl my eyes out, but I have to keep it in because I'm in the middle of a class! It does seem to pass though, and I feel very relaxed after the class.
14Ive never actually cried, but I always feel like Im relieving stress during a workout...good to know its proven.
15nothing relieves stress for me better than a good cardio workout. certain yoga poses (like camel pose) are designed to release emotional "build-up" from parts of your body, which can cause the urge to cry. especially if it's an issue that you thought was resolved but really was still lingering.
16I also have never actaully cried at the gym, but man does it feel good to workout all stresses. I am in boyfriend situation that is extremely stressful right now & would be lost without the gym and a good workout...
17I've never cried during a jog, but working out can be so cathartic. I have to work out my stress and aggression or I end up internalizing it all and setting myself up for "freakouttages".
18i'll be so embarassed to cry in a gym with people around but i can understand how stressed people can be
19I usually yawn during exercise, actually - I've never really found out why but maybe it's to do with the amount of sleep, or lack therof, I get.
I think I've cried during exercise. Not because the exercise is hard/tiring but because of release of emotion - I think a lot about my life when I'm on the treadmill.
20I'm a pretty big woman. I have been doing boot camp for awhile. Today we had a mile run. For the first time I made it around the track twice without stopping. I then walked half and ran half of the last two. After it was over, I had no defenses left. I started to cry - not because of anything in particular. It was raw emotion after very hard work - I thought it was great.
21I have felt close to crying in yoga class - I was told before that backward bends are good for lifting your mood - supposedly good for depression etc. as they make you feel more outgoing and uplifted, whereas forward bends bring you more in touch with your emotions, make you more introspective. Both are good in their own right, but I guess can be difficult depending on where you're at. I found doing some classes with a lot of forward bends brought me close to tears sometimes though I didn't really know why at the time. Yoga is definitely very interesting.
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