You’ve heard the story about the parents who had one optimistic child and one pessimistic one? They decided to try to even out their temperaments. So they filled the pessimistic child’s room with toys. All he could do was complain about their size, their color, and their brands. They filled the optimist’s room with manure. Mom and Dad couldn’t believe what they saw: the optimist was furiously flinging the “stuff” over his shoulders with a huge smile on his face. When they asked him why, he said, “I figure that with all the poop in here, there has to be a pony somewhere!”
Call me the eternal optimist, but I found some good news in related to the economic troubles. I would have thought that when people are feeling more stress, they would do more of those less-healthy behaviors to cope with it, but it’s not necessarily true. I was surprised to learn that according to studies done by Christopher Ruhm, a professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as we enter a recession, health-related problems go down. As our economy declines, the population’s physical well-being improves (as a whole). We smoke less, drink less and drive less and there are fewer deaths!
I’d love to see the economy improve overnight, but whether it does or not, taking care of ourselves is one thing we can control. Evidence is conclusive that exercise improves mood and helps us manage stress as well as prevents many diseases.
When I take a look at successful clients, I see they have some things in common. They make exercise a priority; they set realistic goals ( which prevent burnout); and they explore a number of varieties of ways to obtain fitness. The main reasons people give up are inconsistency, boredom, and lack of knowledge about how to keep their body responding after six weeks. People are more motivated when they see a change on the scale and when they notice an increase in their energy and endurance. Both of those things are likely to happen if you cut your calorie intake and eat a healthier diet along with exercise. Taking charge of your health is a step guaranteed to make your life better!
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