Tears/Crying Can Be a Positive Thing in Battling Weightloss

Recently, I saw some 'tweets' that bashed the teens and people on shows like "I Used to be Fat" on MTV, "Heavy" on A&E and contestants on "The Biggest Loser". Such comments saying how they get sick of seeing all these people crying and how they need to stop with the tears, need to man up, suck it up, get over it, stop being a baby, etc. This really struck me as cruel. The breakdowns and crying that people do on these shows isn't always about the pain of the workouts.

Crying is widely seen as being very therapeutic, especially emotional crying. Emotional tears have a different make-up, and include enkephalin, an endorphin and natural painkiller.

"Emotional tears contain higher concentrations of proteins, manganese, and the hormone prolactin which is produced during stress-induced danger or arousal," - Dr. Carrie Lane of the University of Texas

I know that crying is sometimes seen as a sign of weakness, but there are so many benefits to letting go of these emotions, and holding or forcing yourself NOT to cry can have reverse effects by increasing your emotional stress, making things worse on yourself. The natural body function to relieve stress, anxiety and other emotional build-ups is crying. You should allow yourself to cry.

"A study by the University of Minnesota discovered that the chemicals that build up in your body during emotional stress can be removed in your tears, and unreleased stress can increase your risk for heart attack and damage certain areas of your brain. So your human ability to cry is not only therapeutic, but could even be considered a survival tactic."

The stress and pain these people feel when starting to workout for the first time takes it's toll on their bodies. They are not used to physical activity, and they are using body parts and muscles that they haven't used on a regular basis. Not only that, the emotional release of letting go of their old selves, and struggling to embrace and face the facts they did this to themselves can be overwhelming. These people are starting on a very emotional, psychological and physical journey. To call them crybabies, or to roll your eyes at them and tell them to suck it up, to me, just goes against human nature and their own bodies natural reactions.

Even in shape and active people cry when they finish that marathon, win a sporting event, or accomplish something they've never accomplished before. Starting a weightloss journey is no different. So to all the haters out there, take your own advice and STFU, then change the channel if you're so "sick of it". :)

Peace out and have a great day!

Information taken from A Good Cry. Click the link for more info!

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