“Inactivity should be considered a disease state”
Stress for Success
March 13, 2007


Anyone who’s unaware of the benefits of regular physical exercise on mental and physical health has been living under a rock for decades. If you know the importance of it and still don’t exercise, then you’re probably living in denial. As someone once said, "Inactivity should be considered a disease state."

Research has shown over and again that exercise diminishes the ravages of stress on your body, decreasing a variety of diseases and increasing longevity. Exercise that prevents disease and builds muscles also helps you manage your stress better. It’s one of the two most powerful health enhancing practices; the other is deep relaxation.

It drives me nuts when people complain about being overweight, having aches and pains, not to mention illness and disease yet don't find the wherewithal to do what they need to do to protect their health! Remaining sedentary is another way of saying you choose to put your health at risk.

There are countless reasons why exercise is essential:
§ It channels the fight/flight energy you generate daily, thereby keeping cortisol and other stress hormones from wearing you down physically. THIS IS A MAJOR REASON TO EXERCISE!
§ Activities like hiking, biking, swimming, etc. increase your brain’s production of those feel-good endorphins you've heard about. Endorphins are thought to provide some pain relief and to promote a sense of euphoria. (Don’t get addicted to it, though.)
§ Stretching and yoga diminish muscle tension giving you more energy, calming you and helping you think more clearly. Muscles contract during your fight/flight response. Exercising releases your muscles’ stored energy allowing them to return to a balanced – and less stressed – state so you’ll have fewer tension headaches, arthritis and back pain.
§ Physical fitness increases your self-control, which increases your self-confidence in other areas of your life and minimizes symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. Anything that increases healthy self-control will diminish stress.
§ You’ll sleep better, too, (presuming you don’t exercise to exhaustion) so you’ll perform at higher levels.
§ Exercise also strengthens your body’s physical systems so you’re in better shape to fight any future illness and disease you may contract.

You don't have to start running marathons to benefit from exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic virtually any form can decrease the production of stress hormones and channel your fight/flight energy in healthy ways.

You can start small. If you know that you don’t get enough exercise, get more. If you now get winded from walking two blocks, walk two blocks until you don't get winded then increase to three, then four, etc.

Which exercise most appeals to you? Walking? Sports? (Please don’t say channel-surfing.) It makes no difference as long as it's regular and safe for you, your abilities and age.

Lastly, make your goal of getting more fit through exercise a step in achieving a larger life goal, such as living to see your grandchildren born! When you see how exercise can help you reach a bigger goal it gives it more meaning and therefore you’re more likely to follow through. Make it happen!

Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com or call 239-693-8111 for information about her workshops on this and other topics or to invite her to speak to your organization.