... gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands!
(I know my movie buff friends will know where that quote is from!)
Truer words were never spoken. When we moved into our current apartment almost a year ago, we were stoked to be able to walk to work everyday. With the little man in LA for the summer, we had time to do that, plus work out in the gym and swim in the pool of our apartment complex. Then Todd returned, reducing our free time quite a bit. When winter hit, so did all those nasty flu bugs that seemed to befall almost everyone I knew! That pretty much knocked me off course of any sort of regular exercise for the past 6 months. It showed. It wasn't long before I was huffing and puffing up the single flight of stairs at work. Sad, I know.
Now that summer is here yet again, along with more free time with the absence of the little man, I've once again resumed my efforts at going swimming on a regular basis. So far I've been averaging about 3 times per week, usually in the evenings, when it's less crowded.
And I've once again discovered that not only is it good for my body because of the obvious exercise, but it's good all around for my well being. I feel better. I sleep better at night. I may be physically tired after a good workout, but it's a good kind of tired, and I still feel pretty refreshed afterward. I feel like my body has been cleansed and purged of the day's dreck.
More than once has 8:00 rolled around, and I felt lazy and tempted to put off swimming for the night. I was too tired. It was too cold. I had too much to do... but everytime I dragged myself out and forced myself to go swimming, I was very glad that I did. I always came back feeling much better, much more relaxed, much more refreshed, and in much higher spirits than before.
There is definitely something to be said for exercise boosting your spirits. It's good not just for your physical well-being, but for your mental well-being, too. And that certainly is being driven home to me this summer. I hope I can stay disciplined enough to keep it up for the next couple months! :-)
How about you? What do you do to stay fit?
Exercise absolutely makes you feel better. All the times I've felt like taking a nap and didn't want to leave the house but forced myself to, I felt like a new person afterwards. Although I took it to the extreme and discovered I like running so much that I'm running 50 miles a week. I'm a much happier person on Saturdays when I meet up with my run club. Something about running more than 7 miles gives a kind of runner's high.
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ReplyDeleteOur pastor finds exercise an invaluable necessity for warding off depression. Even when he's out on vacation, or off fishing somewhere, he makes sure to find time to get at least some walking/hiking in, lest he start spiraling downward! Further proof of Elle Woods' endorphins assertion :-)