A walk with the kids followed by a good run on a perfect spring day will do wonders to lift your spirit. This is what I did today, and wouldn't you know it, I even got all of the laundry done!
I forwent the rum and Coke on the deck in exchange for an evening out at the baseball park. I sat in the fresh air with my family for three hours. The weather was perfect, the children behaved, the home team won, and there were fireworks! That in itself was a perk-me-up package!
More amazing, though, was the difference that a walk and a fifteen minute run made (still working my way back to the 5K). I would have stayed inside all afternoon, but it was a beautiful day, and the kids needed to get out. I felt the sun, the flowers and the air changing me. I decided the walk would be a good warm-up for an afternoon run.
I had heard time and again about the benefits of exercise on depression, but I don't think that I had ever truly experienced it. It was not really very dramatic - I was just feeling a little low...but I felt like I was sinking. After the walk and the run, I was no longer struggling to stay afloat, and as counter intuitive as it may seem, I certainly had more energy.
So thank you, my Anonymous Contributor, for the recommendation. I must have known you were going to say that :)
No comments:
Post a Comment