Beat Stress and Boost Morale with Exercise

Stress.  We all have it, none of us wants it, and most of us have trouble managing it. For some, stress is but a bump in the road. For others, it is constant, and crippling. What stresses you out? Juggling your kid’s schedules, driving in heavy traffic, a poor health diagnosis, perhaps, or maybe you are facing a job loss? No matter the reason, stress can have profound and lasting effects on your health, and managing stress costs billions.

It is estimated that Americans currently spend about $14 billion per year on products and services that help them reduce their stress levels. Stress-related health expenses, absenteeism, employee turnover, and so on, cost U.S. businesses roughly $300 billion per year. (American Institute of Stress). If you, like many Americans, have recently  lost your job, then stress may cost you more money, and it can cost you your health.

The good news? The solution could be in your sneakers. Recent studies show that regular exercise not only improves physical health, it can bring out the mental sunshine. Even better, make some of your exercise time “outdoor” exercise time. Research conducted at the University of Essex showed that outside exercise has benefits that extend beyond the expected calorie-burning effect. It turns out that surrounding yourself with nature stimulates spiritual feelings and your senses, and gives you an escape from modern life. This shouldn’t be a surprise, but exercising outdoors also lowers stress levels, improves concentration and positively impacts health and well-being.

Exercise on the cheap.Maybe a gym membership isn’t in the budget right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn down time into exercise time. Play with your kids. You’ll earn your smoothie after an afternoon game of tag, kickball, flag football or catch with your kids. As an added bonus, children who have active parents typically grow up to be active adults, so you’ll be setting a good example.

Use your surroundings to boost calorie burn. If you live in a metropolitan area that has little green space, fear not – there are still plenty of opportunities here for exercising outdoors. Take your elastic tubing and tie it around you waste, then head to the nearest set of stairs (think Rocky in Balboa here). Go for a jog, run up the stairs, use the railing as an anchor for your tubing, then knock out a set of squats. If there is a hill nearby, try walking lunges up the hill. No railing in sight? Use a tree, or even a parking meter. Be creative – that is half the fun!

Build your network of support. Enlist the help of friends, neighbors, grandparents, and your spouse and tell them what your plans are for getting fit and reducing stress, and ask them to help support you along the way. Your support system will help propel you forward rather than hold you back. (Read: Reaching your fitness goals: Build your network of support)

Make it a family affair.  Include the entire family in your fitness adventures. Bike rides, walks in the park, a game of kickball, catch, or Frisbee…really any activity that includes fun, fresh air, and exercise will do everyone some good.

Get fit with friends. Exercising with a group of people who have similar interests and goals can provide both the structure and incentive you need to stay committed. As an added bonus, studies also show that people with strong social networks have less stress and a more positive outlook on life.

Learn something new. Tennis, basketball, swimming, cycling, kayaking, horse back riding and rock climbing are just a few activities you can to try. Attempting something out of your comfort zone is a great way to boost self-confidence.  You’ll surely meet new people, and you never know – you might discover an inner athlete in you that you didn’t know existed, or make a connection that leads to a new job prospect.

Think big. Have you ever dreamed of running a marathon, or completing a triathlon? While having time on your hands may not be what you want right now, maybe you can use the time to achieve a life-long goal, and who knows, you may learn something profound about yourself in the process.

Let me  preface by saying, I am not complaining.

It was 7o degrees today.

In northern Ohio.

In March.

Meteorologists spent the day debating the reasons why winter never really came, the role of global warming, and what this means for spring and summer months ahead.

Meanwhile, I went for a run and thought about none of the above – just, “ahhhh,” as I sunned my legs and arms for the first time since, um, a million days ago.  I don’t give a pig’s arse why it was warmer today than it was all of the days in May last year, combined. That was then, this is now, and I completely understand why people move south: BECAUSE WARMTH IS NICE! Snow at Christmas time is lovely. Any more than that is redundant.  Now that I’ve had a winter with a side dish of snow rather than as a main course, I actually think I could even handle it being a very small appetizer. Sorry snow – I guess you could say it just didn’t work out between us, and I’ve moved on.

Hello spring (wink, nodding), how you doin’?

After tripping over several abandoned pairs of running shoes on my way to the car this morning, it occurred to me I should do something with them other than tossing them in the path of people exiting the house. As luck would have it, I ran across a note I’d made in my blog folder (probably the last time I tripped over my old shoes): Soles4souls.org!  They will take your used shoes and pass them along to disaster victims.

Founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey, started Soles4Souls after the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. His compulsion to “do something” has resulted in over 17 million pairs of shoes delivered to people in over 127 countries. How many times have you felt the same compulsion – to take action, lend a hand, make a difference – in some way, large or small? This is an inspirational example of how one person with the spark of an idea can accomplish great things.

For a list of frequently asked questions, including the types of shoes you can donate, the condition they need to be in, and where to send them, visit Soles4Souls FAQ.

Off to see how many pairs of shoes I can round up and send off.

Do you go through a weekly workout routine without giving it much thought?  Hey – not judging…I’ve been guilty of this as well. What type of exercises we do, whether cardio or strength training, are many times chosen based on our schedules and how much time we have available for a workout. Personally, I tend to lean toward cardio workouts, and find I have to work strength training into my weekly schedule, else it would get pushed aside.  Regardless of what you choose to do on a regular basis, the real question is:  How do you know if what you’re doing is helping you reach your fitness goals?

5  Simple Ways to Gauge Progress…

1.  First, if you are just starting out with a regular schedule, give yourself 6-8 weeks, (preferably, 12), before assessing your progress. Changing too much too soon can hinder progress. (Still waiting for results? Keep at it, and have patience)

2.  If your goal is weight loss, don’t weigh in everyday, but don’t avoid the scale either. I recommend weighing in about once per week, and on the same day each week. Any more, and you may become frustrated by daily fluctuations. If you are not losing weight despite regular workouts and healthier eating, then perhaps you need to add longer cardio sessions, add strength training twice per week (if you aren’t strength training at all) , or jump into interval training.

3.  If your goal is to increase strength, a simple check to see if your routine is working is to ask yourself this question: Is your last repetition easier than it was a week or two ago? If so , you are getting stronger. Or, if  you can easily perform more repetitions, then your routine is working and it is time to increase your load. (Strength training progression)

4.  Are your clothes fitting differently? Sometimes body shape changes before there are changes on the scale.

5.  Are you able to workout longer during your cardio workouts, and without as much huffing and puffing? If yes, then it is time to increase distance, speed, or incline so that changes continue to take place. (How to build endurance)

Most importantly, be consistent. What you do every day matters more than what you do once in awhile, so give your body time to adapt to the changes you’re striving for. (Get past road blocks to find your path to fitness)

Training for your first road race and feeling the pain in places other than your muscles? One of the most common complaints among new runners is ankle and knee pain, and while many factors contribute to pain in the joints (biomechanics, weak quadriceps, previous injuries, worn-out shoes or improper fit, weak tendons…), the most common causes can be nipped with a few tweaks of your form.

1. Take a chill pill. Okay, not literally, but try to relax. Running is a great way to reduce stress, but don’t run stressed. Every few minutes during your run, try to notice where you feel tight or are carrying tension. Are your shoulders creeping up toward your ears as the miles pass? Release the tension and roll your shoulders back and down, as though you’re tucking your shoulder blades into your back pockets. I often carry tension in this area, and focusing on spreading the distance between my shoulders does wonders to alleviate tightness in this area.

2. Don’t strike the ground with your heel first. Rather, aim for mid-foot, which will help reduce the amount of stress to the ankles and knees by keeping your feet underneath you as you land, rather than in front of you.

3. Lean forward from the ground up. When I tell runners to lean into their run, the first thing they do is hinge at the hip. A better cue would be, “fall into your run.” By hinging at the ankle joint, you give gravity a chance to assist you. Let it. By leaning forward into your run, your legs will naturally land underneath your hips, right where they belong.

4. Zip it up. Imagine zipping up your pants. Notice how your lower pelvis is drawn in toward your spine? Good. Now try to maintain that level of contraction in your lower abdominals while you run. Right off the bat you’ll notice a slightly faster pace. You can thank your core for that extra boost of power!

5. Keep your chest open and your eyes forward. I was always told to keep my eyes on the ground about 6ft in front of my feet. Not only was this an extremely boring way to run – after all, it isn’ t much fun to look at the pavement – it also forces you to run with slumped shoulders, creating misalignment of the skeleton and over time, a whole slew of mechanical problems. By opening up the chest and running tall, the impact of each foot strike is absorbed by your skeleton, rather than the individual joints, beginning with the ankles. Imagine increasing the distance between your chest and pelvis as you run, literally lengthening your core.

Finally, give it time. Changing running technique will take focused practice. Try dedicating 5-10 minutes of every run to improving your form, then gradually increase this “form focused” time by 5-10 minutes every week until one run every week is dedicated to maintaining ideal form. Those aches and pains you experienced early on when you were a novice runner should gradually disappear. With practice, you can avoid injury and run pain free for many miles (and years) to come!