Stress Awareness Week: Managing Stress So It Doesn’t Manage You

Life comes at us fast. Work, kids, deadlines, expectations… plus trying to fit in training, eat well, and remember where you left your keys.
Stress is part of being human — but too much of it, unmanaged, impacts everything: sleep, mood, energy, decision-making, and even recovery from training.

At the gym, we often talk about progressive overload — adding stress to the system so the body adapts and becomes stronger.
Life works the same way.
Some stress helps us grow. Too much, without recovery, leads to burnout.

So during Stress Awareness Week, here are simple strategies to manage stress, stay grounded, and stay consistent — both inside the gym and in everyday life.

1. Control the controllables

You can’t eliminate stress, but you can influence how you respond to it.

When life feels busy or overwhelming:

• Focus on what you can do today (not everything you think you “should” do this week).
• Break tasks into small steps.
• Prioritise movement — not perfection.

You don’t need the perfect 60-minute workout.
You just need to show up.

2. Use your breath as a reset button

When stress hits, your breathing changes — faster, shallower, higher in the chest.
That keeps the body in “fight or flight.”

Try this (it takes less than 60 seconds):
Inhale for 4 seconds → Hold for 2 → Exhale for 6

A long exhale tells your nervous system:

“We're safe. You can calm down now.”

3. Move your body (even when you don’t feel like it)

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to reduce stress.
When you train, you release endorphins — your brain’s natural mood boosters.

Some days, training will feel like therapy.
Other days, it’ll feel like dragging yourself through mud.

Both count.

Sitting with stress builds tension.
Moving with stress builds resilience.

4. Protect your energy

You don’t always need more motivation — sometimes, you need better boundaries.

Ideas:

• Reduce screen time in the evening.
• Say “no” to things that drain you.
• Say “yes” to things that create energy (sleep, movement, time with good people).

You can’t pour from an empty cup.

5. Use the gym as more than a gym

We see it every day — people walk in carrying the weight of the world, and leave feeling lighter.

That’s not magic.
It’s community.

Training with others:

• lowers stress
• increases consistency
• makes hard sessions enjoyable

And let’s be honest — having someone next to you suffering through burpees makes everything better.

6. Talk to someone

You’re not weak for asking for help.
You’re smart.

Whether that's a coach, a friend, a partner — or someone professional — talking relieves pressure.

We see stress show up in movement, performance, and behaviour.
You’re never a burden for saying, “Hey, I’m struggling this week.”

Final Thought

Stress isn’t the enemy.
Unmanaged stress is.

Small actions — breathing, moving, showing up, talking — compound over time.

You don’t need to handle everything perfectly.

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

We’re with you.

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