Comments on: Physical Activity and the Good Life

By: annie

annie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:25:55 +0000

Hi Gloria-
I have heard from many people that physical activity and exercise can really lower anxiety levels and just make you feel better over all. Except, for me just thinking about exercise makes me anxious. I really hate the thought of going to the gym or going for a run and I just dont know what to do to motivate myself. Any suggestions?

By: p90x

p90x — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:10:06 +0000

p90x…

Muscle imbalances affect and cause a lot of postural problems and injuries. I just wanted to talk generally about them today as a lot of people left this in my comment section and trying to go through individual muscle imbalances in one post is madness…

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:40:24 +0000

Hi Gloria
I’m researching positive psychology as it relates to physical activity at the moment and will be for the next 3 years as I conduct my doctorate training. I’m working in a forensic mental health unit and there seems to be scant research in this particular area regarding these subjects and their effects. This is an area where, traditionally, a lot of focus has been placed upon the ill-effects of patients rather than including the development of their positive attributes simultaneously. This is a balance I hope to address in my research.
I loved your article and promote the benefits of exercise and p.a holistically where I work. I’m hoping to be able to contribute to both our patients and staff in respect of the work I do, which is to promote and provide activity opportunities. Now that I’ve found it, I’m sure I’ll be using your group as a valuable reference in the future.
All the best
Rob

By: Wayne Jencke

Wayne Jencke — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:29:23 +0000

Suggest you look at the research on vagal tone and mood.

Interval exercise maximises vagal tone and from my experience maximises mood

By: Gloria

Gloria — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:41:17 +0000

Hey Jeff!
I definitely think we, as adults, forget to de-stink too often. I know in my own life, physical activity takes a back seat when things get busy, or when I have other priorities to attend to. When I started teaching skating again, I would walk into the rink after a long day of work feeling stressed and cranky. After spending an hour on the ice and another hour off the ice with my kids, I always left feeling energized and elevated.

I’m so happy to see that workplaces are adopting midday physical activity programs for their employees, providing them with more opportunities to get active despite a busy schedule.

We can all use a little more De-Stinking!

Have a great week.

Best,
Gloria

By: Jeff Dustin

Jeff Dustin — Sun, 13 May 2007 14:40:00 +0000

Go play on the railroad tracks! That’s a keeper.

By: Kathryn Britton

Kathryn Britton — Sun, 13 May 2007 14:04:08 +0000

Jeff,
My aunt used to say “Go play on the railroad tracks,” in similar circumstances. That must have been code for “go get the stink blown off you.” We all lived to grow up, so we must have understood it.

Kathryn

By: Jeff Dustin

Jeff Dustin — Sat, 12 May 2007 21:46:23 +0000

Kathryn & Gloria,

When I was a younger, maybe twelve or so I used to become very sullen and moody (aka a normal kid). We used to live in a working class development and my mother would always say, “Go outside and get the stink blown off you”. Remembering that phrase tickles me so much. It wasn’t the smell of me that needed improvement, which with all the hormones I’m sure there was some foulness, but the simple act of getting up and strolling around the development would soon boost my mood. Moms sometimes know best.

I still need to get the Stink Blown Off Me. I think more adults should De-Stink once in while when they are stressed out. Don’t you think so?

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 10 May 2007 02:40:48 +0000

Gloria,

Several years ago, before I became a family man, I walked every night after work. Where I walked had a combination of flat and hilly paths. I was able to reduce the time taken from 60 to 42 minutes as I became fitter. I was going through a very rough patch in my life and I found the thinking time without work or home distractions during the walk was invaluable. I found the key to getting the best mental benefit was making sure that my thoughts dwelled on what was going right in my life, instead of dwelling on what was going wrong.

It was also during this time that I discovered “Learned Optimism” by Martin Seligman, which has lead me into a layperson’s interest in Positive Psychology for the past eight years.

It would be interesting to see if the beneficial effects of regular exercise/physical activity are dependant on the partcipant’s state of mind.

Thank you for a very interesting post.

By: Senia Maymin

Senia Maymin — Wed, 09 May 2007 02:53:11 +0000

Very interesting, thank you.
S.