Difficult times call for immediate exercise rescue - and an outrageous pair of shoes! I am completely sold on and live by the philosophy that exercise reduces stress. Does it also hold true that the more you exercise, the more your body requires exercise in order to reduce the same amount of stress?
Our bodies become quickly adjusted to our fitness levels. If a 10-15 min walk worked to relieve your stress before, does this amount of exercise not work anymore if done daily for this purpose? I agree that any amount of exercise is good for body and soul. But, does it work this way: Just as lifting the same amount of weight daily won't make you stronger, neither will doing the same amount of exercise daily reduce the same amount of stress? One needs to increase in small increments the weight or exercise intensity in order to reap a benefit. What happens to those of us who have been exercising all our lives - does it require hours upon hours of exercise to reduce the same level of stress as walking 10-15 min used to? This scenario makes me laugh to ponder! How absurd to take it to extremes - or is it?
Our bodies become quickly adjusted to our fitness levels. If a 10-15 min walk worked to relieve your stress before, does this amount of exercise not work anymore if done daily for this purpose? I agree that any amount of exercise is good for body and soul. But, does it work this way: Just as lifting the same amount of weight daily won't make you stronger, neither will doing the same amount of exercise daily reduce the same amount of stress? One needs to increase in small increments the weight or exercise intensity in order to reap a benefit. What happens to those of us who have been exercising all our lives - does it require hours upon hours of exercise to reduce the same level of stress as walking 10-15 min used to? This scenario makes me laugh to ponder! How absurd to take it to extremes - or is it?
Last month, Doug and I spent a whole week making a huge adjustment to our schedules. We have three vehicles and two ended up at the dealership at the same time. The amount of money needed to make the repairs is enormous and I was at the end of a pay period, so we decided to hold off on the maintenance.
Now, taxiing our children has become a way of life, but things needed to change immediately that week with a lack of vehicles. Plus, we had to coordinate work commutes, grocery visits, Doug's gym workouts and my training swims!
Our stress was mounting. My boys pitched in by having their friends over (instead of leaving the house themselves). I combated the stress levels by changing my swims: my workouts were more determined, longer and intense. A huge plus for my attitude.
Doug and I also dealt with our stress by going downtown on a date. While there, we walked into a funky store where they sell a wild-looking shoe style called Lita. These shoes look as though you will instantly walk outside to cat-calls and inappropriate offers coupled with a fistful of money. Doug dared me to try them on. I didn't care - I had been living with so much stress that I could be talked into anything.
The surprise is, I loved them! I really did! The truth is they cost more money than any outfit I've ever purchased (even if you add jewelry, makeup and a haircut!). But, I was willing to save up to buy a pair.
Do yourself a favor today if you are feeling an enormous amount of stress: exercise a little longer and harder, have friends over (or your kid's friends : ) and do something you normally would never do - I can laugh stress directly in the face now and feel so much better! All thanks to my wonderful family and a fun pair of shoes!!
No comments:
Post a Comment