Dear Fitness Readers

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

Hey there, do you have a minute? I want to talk to you a sec about all the crazy running we do. Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine and she told me - emphatically - that I needed to take a three-day weekend and just shut it all down. I can't say she's wrong, I need a break and I'm already planning to take one the week of Thanksgiving, but that's four and a half loooooong weeks away. So until then - here are some suggestions for distressing that I plan to put into practice myself:

Meditation

Meditation summons an image of a figure sitting cross-legged in front of incense and murmuring 'ohm' in pseudo-religious format. Take ten minutes and shut off the rest of the world. Using a method of controlled breathing, inhaling for a count of four, holding for a count of two and releasing the breath for a count of four. Closing your eyes and letting your mind blank for those ten minutes while you breathe allows your mind a respite from the day's tensions. Imagine as you inhale you are gathering all of the tensions of the day and upon exhaling they are expelled from the body. Ten simple minutes can help relax the mind, restore focus and ease the onset of a headache.

Exercise

Exercise often promotes physical health by keeping the body in good cardio-vascular and muscular health. It is also an outlet for the physical tensions that wind a body up. Understanding that stress triggers the fight-or-flight instinct in the body, tensing muscles so they are coiled and ready to run at greater speeds, increasing the heart rate and restricting blood flow to non-essential systems, also explains why physical exertions such as 15 to 20 minutes of brisk walking, biking or jogging can allow the body to relieve itself of the need for action. Exercise also releases endorphins, the body's natural chemical high.

Laughter

Laugh, whether through social conversation or viewing a sitcom on television. Laughter is therapeutic and can temporarily elevate your heart rate, help digestion, relax muscles, ease pain and like exercise, release endorphins.

Nap

Naps are not just for children, but using children as our models can help you understand a nap's benefit. A source of stress is being over tired. For those who cannot meditate, taking a short ten, twenty or even thirty-minute nap can help restore a weary body and a weary mind. Catnaps, which can leave a person feeling refreshed after a ten minute doze, can be had anywhere whether it is in your car in the parking lot, on the floor of your office or in the chair with your feet on your desk. Find a quiet spot and doze for ten minutes.

Music

Listening to music, which can relax you. Music is a known influence on pulse, blood pressure and electrical activity in the muscles. Listen to a favorite CD while you are working or driving in the car or simply resting at home in a comfortable chair.

What else can you do to de-stress?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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