Keep it Scientific, Sweetie (The OTHER KISS Principle)

Stress is always with us.

Fellow blogger, K.G. Heath posted recently about STRESS. KG had three excellent points about changing our attitude and circumstances to address stressful situations. Honestly, I have found significant success in changing my attitude about many stressful situations.

I'm in one situation, however, that continues to elude the peace that comes from attitude adjustments. For this situation, what I sometimes find even more helpful is the hard work of physical exercise and weight lifting.

Exercise and Stress

WebMD's page on exercise indicates that physical exertion creates endorphins in the brain that are proven to trigger a positive feeling in the body. Source after source lists the considerable benefits from exercise, from the "runner's high" that comes from jogging, to the simple changes in attitude that come from the tiniest bit of exercise, even walking into another room. There must be literally hundreds or thousands of books and websites that address the subjects of stress and exercise.

When I went to see my personal trainer, Joe Policastro, this morning at his business StrongFit, I was in an anxious state owing to circumstances I cannot control and seemingly cannot even influence. After lunges, goblet squats, presses, leg raises, and 2000 meters of rowing, I felt much more positive about the situation, even though not one single thing about it had changed. The only thing that had changed was me.

The Benefits of Facts to support Experience

The recent internet discussions about vaccinations are a good example of the fact that FACTS very often do not change peoples' minds. The facts about exercise are often not enough to convince someone to get moving. I think the facts are extra helpful when our experience shows us something like the benefits of exercise and we can then see the scientific why behind those benefits.

Feeling stressed? Work on the attitude, and then give exercise a KISS.

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