Most days you are able to keep a positive outlook.  You try to be kind to yourself  and look on the bright side in order to improve your health.  But what about those days you can’t find that inner cheerleader?  What about the days when your boss is a jerk, the kids are misbehaving, and your spouse is working late yet again?  In my last post I gave some tips to help change your perception and spur physical change.  Though I am a big believer in staying positive and its great impact on overall health I realize no one approaches their workout raring to go and happy as a clam every time.  That said, here are some tips for exercising on those days when frustration, anxiety, or life in general gets the best of you:

-Kick the sh*t out of something- Instead of going out and wreaking havoc (or kicking the sh*t out of someone) head to your nearest kick boxing class or make use of that punching bag at the local gym.  It’s an amazing release for your emotions and great for your body too.  Not able to get to the  gym?  You can always rekindle that old romance with Tae Bo or substitute a pillow for a punching bag.

-Crank some tunes, crank out some reps- Yoga is the form of exercise most associated with stress relief but sometimes it’s hard to channel your Zen.  Try playing  some angry music on your iPod and hitting the weights instead.  Use that adrenaline rush to your advantage and see if you can increase your usual load.  You’ll feel stronger both physically and mentally afterwards.

-Bust out some intervals- Pick whatever form of cardio you most enjoy (angry music optional) and try some interval training.  Push as hard as you can for one minute, go back to a moderate pace for two minutes, repeat.  Try this for 30 minutes or so and see how much better you feel afterwards.  At the very least that burning in your quads (or hamstrings, or glutes) will take your mind off of whatever was bothering you for a while.

-Throw yourself at the mercy of the instructor- Pop into a new class (or try a new video if at home).  Learning something new will take your mind off of your problems for a bit while simultaneously boosting your confidence.  Interacting with other people in the class can help bring you out of a funk and taking cues from an instructor is less stressful and more motivating than trying to figure out a workout on your own.