***The Power of Wellbeing Tip of the Day: Exercise

Have you ever wondered why you feel so great during vacation? While you may think it’s because you are not at work, how about this other explanation? You are having a great time with people you care about in a nice place, you enjoy good food, you sleep well and you exercise or simply relax.

It is still a puzzle to me when I find out my new stressed out clients and patients reveal to me they have not been exercising at all. The most common excuse is “I don’t have time to exercise!” Even more amazing, many start cutting down on their training because their pressure at work has increased. Interestingly, though, adding workouts to a work-packed schedule is one of the easiest strategies to work less, produce more, make more money and create more wealth.

Exercise will help you improve your blood flow with direct beneficial effects to your heart and brain, helping you stay young and energized. Exercising regularly offers one of the best de-stressing strategies, increasing neurotransmitters that enhance your focus, attention and concentration, decreasing the perception for pain and increasing a sense of Wellbeing. Exercise helps create relaxed energy instead of tense energy, driven by stimulants such as caffeine or power drinks. If you are seeking for relaxed energy, exercising will be a great addition to your busy schedule.

These are some helpful tips to maximize your exercise:

1) Exercise daily: As with eating well, good sleep hygiene and practicing regular relaxation techniques, busy people should create the healthy habit to exercise every day. Morning exercise will allow you to start off fresh and is the most effective, relaxing, and energizing. After exercising, your body may feel pleasantly relaxed physically, while mentally sharp, focused, and clear. If you feel you have no time to exercise in the morning, exercising in the evening is better than not exercising at all. Be aware, though, that if you exercise in the evening, although you may be physically relaxed, your mind may activate and keep going, making it harder for you to fall asleep at night.

2) Repetitive exercises help you relax: Relaxing exercises tend to use long muscle groups and tend to be the most repetitive (and boring) ones: walking, cycling, running, jogging, spinning, cross-country skiing and swimming. These are excellent exercises (and a must!) for busy executives and entrepreneurs who spend hours of sedentary work and for those who fly and travel as a part of their busy schedules. After being on the treadmill for about fifteen to twenty minutes of steady exercise, you will start to experience more mental focus and concentration. You may even have more creative thoughts and ideas. You will notice the difference between exercising three times for ten minutes each time instead of one time for a straight thirty minutes. Why? Your heart rate will increase to maximize a good cardiovascular and physical workout only after you have been at a steady state for over ten minutes.

3) Martial arts, yoga, taichi and qigong: While I usually suggest my busy and traveling clients and patients to practice repetitive exercises to be in “the zone,” others prefer the regular practice of Yoga, taichi or qigong. Martial arts training may be best for energy-driven individuals. You may want to try different practices and select the one that matches your personality and energy the best. All these practices will enhance a great physical and mental workout.

4) Weight training is a must if you travel or if you anticipate increased pressure and responsibilities: You probably experienced increased stress not only because of the financial crisis itself but because you may have been stuck to your television checking on your stock or business. Combining a repetitive exercise to enhance relaxation effects and adding a weight training program becomes an essential strategy particularly for the globe trotting road warrior. Avoiding back-to-back trips will be important to regulate energy levels and sleep. In addition, a hectic schedule will require increased energy and stamina to face the escalating and unremitting pressures of today’s critical aftermath of the economic situation. Many people like to concentrate on weight training only as they feel it enhances their “looks.” While the aesthetics may be quite the priority for some, the combination of weight training with repetitive exercises will enhance health and Wellbeing.

5) Run the daily marathon and be prepared for the sprints. The better habits we create during good times will enable us to be resilient during tough times. Many expect to have a great output of energy and stamina in a crisis when they are exhausted and physically sedentary or inactive. The better prepared we are on a daily basis, the better prepared we will be to confront the increasing challenges as we discover the Power of Wellbeing.

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