Bodybuilder Erin Stern hasn’t lost sight of what attracted her to the gym over the years. In a recent offering on YouTube, Stern broke down her 10 reasons why exercise can provide users with the benefits of therapy.
Erin Stern is a former two-time Figure Olympia winner, reaching the top of her respective division in 2010 and 2012. Although she no longer competes in Figure, Stern has also made waves in the Bikini category and won the 2022 Republic of Texas Pro.
We all know about the physical benefits of exercise, but Stern wants to shine a light on how working out can create a more peaceful state of mind. She detailed why exercise can be both therapeutic and beneficial to mental health.
“Let’s say you don’t have the budget for it or you’re not interested in going, I want to go through 10 ways how working out can help give you those benefits of being in therapy.”
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Erin Stern Outlines 10 Reasons Why Training Can Offer The Benefits of Therapy
Check out a quick breakdown below:
- Tangible challenge of weights
- Boosting physical strength
- Lifting weight provides an anchor for you
- Physical manifestation of goals
- Integrate your shadow or dark side with who you are
- Motivation
- Social interaction
- Working out gives life structure
- Mood boosting
- Tolerance
Tangible challenge of weights
According to Stern, conquering the tangible challenge of lifting weights can help you conquer intangible challenges that you’ll encounter outside of the gym.
“You have the tangible challenge of weights. You go in there you know that the 45-pound plate is 45 pounds, the bar weighs a certain amount, usually 45 pounds as well unless they are using those silly 35-pound bars either way you know how much weight you are trying to lift. Conquering this tangible challenge better equips you to conquer intangible challenges.”
Boosting physical strength
A boost in physical strength can also affect how someone assesses their self-esteem, says Stern.
“If you’re going into the gym, lifting heavier and pushing yourself more you are going to get physically stronger. Something that we don’t always see with this gain in physical strength is that we carry ourselves differently.
If you suffer from low self-esteem, lifting weights, especially working on your back can help you stand up more straight.”
Lifting weight provides an anchor for you
Even if your life is constantly changing, Stern underlined that lifting weights can provide a familiar and comfortable anchor for those going through difficult times.
“Lifting weights can provide an anchor for you. So, it’s that constant in a changing world. When your life seems like it’s upside down and again,” shares Stern. “When everything seems upside down when it seems like everything is lost, that tangible feel of the weights, just having the gym or a place to work out can give you solace.”
Physical manifestation of goals
She also pointed to achieving physical goals in training and how that can translate into real-life scenarios.
“Goals that you have kept near and dear to your heart, so it is basically, not only showing the world but showing yourself that what you have in your mind it can be achieved in real life.”
Integrate your shadow or dark side with who you are
Stern believes training gives people the ability to understand themselves, especially their darker side.
“You have to be able to integrate your shadow into who you are because it is part of us. If you stuff it down, it’s going to bubble up and come out in ways that are undesirable.
So, pushing against these demons, fighting against these demons in the gym, whether it’s putting your headphones on, putting your hat down low, and attacking and working with them to push harder is going to help you incorporate your shadow and incorporate that darkness or perceived darkness into everyday life”
Motivation
The former Women’s Physique Olympia says working out and boosting motivation is therapeutic.
“Being around other people who are training, regardless of if you talk to them or not is going to go a long way towards boosting your own motivation. It’s sort of like you are the sum of the people you spend the most time with even if you don’t know these people personally, they are still having an impact on you.”
Social interaction
For those who feel lonely or isolated, exercising at a gym can be an ideal way to alter those emotions.
“If you work at home, and I work at home, so I don’t get a lot of interaction with people during the day. Going to the gym makes me feel less isolated. It can be great if you feel lonely just being around people especially people who are more like-minded.”
Working out gives life structure
She emphasizes that a regular workout schedule provides structure that can seep into other areas of your life.
“Working out gives life structure because you usually will have to have a routine and having a routine, making time for yourself, knowing that, okay, at five a.m. three days a week or five days a week you’re hitting the gym or maybe hitting the gym after work or on your lunch break, you have structure. You have the ability now to plan out your days and to stick with your plans.”
“Having structure in the gym or structure in training gives structure to the rest of your life as well,” adds Stern.
Mood boosting
Stern credits exercise for its mood-boosting benefits.
“This is straight-up science. You got a boost in endorphins, your serotonin levels go up. It’s going to lower your blood pressure, you’re going to get a ton of cognitive benefits of training so it’s going to reduce brain fog and in terms of actual disorders like depression and anxiety, research is showing that these can be diminished or in fact completely eliminated through exercise.”
Tolerance
Lastly, Stern contends that regular exercise has made her more tolerant of the challenges she encounters in life.
“This is something that lifting or working out has greatly helped me with. I used to be like an emotional roller coaster. I was very susceptible to moods, to other people, if it was a cloudy day, I was usually in a bummed out mood, the slightest inconvenience would kind of sideline me, and working out helped me boost my tolerance.”
Low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety can affect the best of us, and that includes athletes like powerlifting phenom Larry Wheels. He has been open about how the gym saved him from a life of negativity. In addition to helping his mental outlook, Wheels believes the gym guided him away from hanging out with the wrong crowd.
Athletes like Stern and Wheels refuse to underestimate the power of exercise. In addition to lifelong physical benefits, Stern maintains that training can be an effective therapy for anyone going through a challenging time.
RELATED: Erin Stern Shares How To Sculpt Beautiful Curves W/ Ultimate Leg Workout
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