Stresstab10: Exercise and Re-creation

People who maintain a regular program of exercise seemed able to become more quickly and deeply relaxed than people who avoid exercise. This should prompt all of us to add exercise to our life as a weapon to fight stress. We are aware that the body is the only machine, which wears out when it is not used rather than when it is used. Daily exercise helps us feel better about our body and improves our health. It improves not only our physical well being but also our mental and emotional functioning. Exercise is an excellent way to release tension.

Picking an exercise activity for some of us is difficult, particularly if we have not engaged in one for months or maybe even years. To start with, we should pick one, which does not markedly disrupt our daily routine. For example, just briskly walking 1-1/2 km. each day takes only a few minutes and can be done most any time and any place. We ought to try to establish an exercise program, which is enjoyable and fits our own interests and time schedule. Varying the activity is important so interest can be maintained. Boredom easily sets in when we walk or jog around the same block each day. Exercising with someone else is helpful since it usually sustains commitment to the program.

Perhaps the most difficult thing about exercising is to do it regularly. This means exercising each day or every other day. Physiologists and physical educators emphasize the necessity of regular exercise for beneficial effects to occur within the body. In fact, we all know that strenuous exercise performed on an occasional basis can be physically harmful. We must remember to start with a small amount of exercise and build upon it until we reach a desirable level.

Recreational activities other than exercise offer good stress-reducing avenues. Hobbies, crafts, gardening, attending movies and plays, and reading all help us take our mind from the stressful things in life.

Too much recreation can be used as a temporary escape from responsible work effort. When it is used in this way, we still face the stress of getting the work done at some later time. In this case, we need to make recreation (a high probability activity) contingent upon, and following, a certain amount of completed work (a low probability activity).