by Mary Claybon | Aug 16, 2010 | Health and Wellness |
One of my friends asked, “Mary, how can I ever get to love exercise? I hate it.”
I was contemplating the answer, and first have to say that I hated to move or exercise until I woke up to physical fitness and health after meeting my husband in 1971.
I was 19 years old, weighed 15 pounds more than I do now, smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day, and if my feet were not made for walking, my only exercise was going back and forth to the hospital or walking to shop.
Steve was a runner since high school. It was part of his daily routine and he couldn’t imagine not exercising. He also hated my smoking. We fell in love and I decided to get active.
One day, I went outside to the track and just started running. I can remember coughing a lot and not truly enjoying it right away. I also was sore for days after. I stayed with it and before long I was running 3 miles around the track.
As I continued running, I began to enjoy the feeling of a good sweat and also noticed that my weight was stabilizing. I could enjoy my food more and had a more balanced appetite. Exercise became a habit that I could no longer do without.
The smoking was another thing. I did quit for Steve, but that didn’t last long. I went back to smoking on and off in between pregnancies and eventually quit for good when I was 30. It was at that time that I became an aerobics instructor.
Exercise has been part of my life since I was 20. I have been a runner, walker, enjoyed bicycling, cross-country skiing and dancing including aerobic dancing. As I became more interested in my inner fitness, I started doing yoga. In my career I have taught aerobics, yoga, fitness and conditioning and now teach more about spiritual fitness.
The point is I can’t live without it. It is part of my being. It is like brushing teeth and when I don’t exercise I feel it all over. I feel sluggish, full, digestive constipation, mood swings, and low energy. When I exercise I feel light, refreshed, my digestion flows, I am happier, more energetic and while my body benefits, my mind feels more clear.
So – all I can say is you have to get out there and move your body in a way that fits your lifestyle and your interests. Running is a burden for many, while walking feels natural and with the accompaniment of a friend can be more about a relationship than exercise. Some people like the gym and others would rather exercise at home.
Probably the easiest way to make sure you are moving is to buy a pedometer and get out there and walk, or if you are active cleaning and running around in your normal daily work and activities, you may just need a short walk to get to the goal of 10,0000 steps. 10,000 Steps a day is equal to about 5 miles of walking. If you do that everyday, you may find that exercise becomes intrinsic and easy.
I will continue to write about the Joy of Exercise is future blogs. For now it would be great to hear from you.
by Mary Claybon | Jul 21, 2010 | Health and Wellness |
by Mary Claybon | Jun 30, 2010 | Health and Wellness |
I am recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery for a torn meniscus. So far so good, but giving myself two weeks to relax, rest, and heal. My husband, Steve was a great nurse and family is wonderful. People ask if I am bored. No way. I don’t know what boredom would look like. Do you want to know what I have been doing? Besides Physical Therapy of course.
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Reading books for my book club I would have never finished. Fiction. Just finished
The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet-loved it.
Now reading The Lake in the Woods-fantastic.
And next Tobacco Road will let you know.
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Writing bits and pieces-nothing of great length, but preparing for some focused writing time.
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Going through old magazines, cutting out words that fit my vision board and articles I want to read. I will give myself a deadline to read them or throw them away.
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Watching my DVRed shows-the View and Oprah and enjoying the variety of “Hot Topics.”
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Contemplating contemplation. When you sit, you have more time to think and I use this time to deal with inner conflicts and sort out feelings that impair the healing process.
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It is not just my knee that is healing. It is my soul. Without a healed mind, the body cannot heal.
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Totally enjoying leaving the doors and windows open to the summer breeze and enjoying the birds, flowers, green.
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Most of all enjoying the gift of friendship and sisterhood.
I can’t wait to get back to walking, dancing and gardening and running after my granddaughters.
Regarding contenment – I am working on it. It is hard for me to let go of ambitious thoughts and the guilt of feeling like a slug. I need to remember that it is productive to heal.
by Mary Claybon | Apr 9, 2010 | Health and Wellness |
April is National Stress Awareness Month
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How do you react to stress? What is your stress personality? Here is a list of the various personality types related to stress.
TYPE A personality people often have an underlying feeling of hostility. They have a send of urgency. They are perfectionists and worry a lot. They beat themself up when they fail. They do a lot of negative self talk and have a strong inner critic.This personality type is often associated with heart disease and heart attacks.
TYPE B people are more laid back. They have less of a sense of urgency and roll with the punches. Things don't have to be perfect. They are able to accept failure as a learning experience. This is the healthiest personality. They flow with life and are often more content and happy.
TYPE C people hold things in. They often look calm when they are under stress. The Type C personality has been associated with psychosomatic illness and cancer.
RESILIENT people have a hardiness factor. They see life as a challenge and find meaning and purpose in life. They are often active and socially connected. Resiliency has been associated with long life. Resilient people are able to maintain autonomy and control without being overcontrolling or obsessive. They are very adaptive.
PESSIMIST is the personality of people who often see the negative aspects of life. The glass is half empty instead of half full.
OPTIMIST is the personality of people who see the positive in every experience. For them the glass is half full.
WOMEN and MEN differ in personality and how they experience stress. Studies show that women are more social and generally have more friendships. There is also research comparing the chemistry of the female and male body. There is a theory that women could be protected from stress by oxytocin and female hormones. Men tend to have less close relationships and isolate more in old age than women. Testosterone may affect how men react to stress.
If you are interested in learning more about stress, sign up for my FREE teleclasses this month. Just go to my Products and Events page and sign up:
https://themiddlewayhealth.com/products_events.php
by Mary Claybon | Mar 8, 2010 | Health and Wellness |
I have been busy taking care of my own stress the last month. We just returned from a two week vacation to Florida and a 10 day Caribbean Cruise. A cruise is a great way to take a break from daily news, e-mails and cell phones. Oh-of course you can pay fees to use the computers on the ship, but we avoided the internet cafe. My cell phone would have worked had I paid almost $2.00 a minute, but who needs the extra expense. So I used that all as an excuse to let go of daily news and daily technology.
Now I am back and will write more (so much has happened in the week since we got back) but for now,I just wanted to let you know where I have been.
Hope you are all well and can plan to take a break soon. You don't have to go to the ocean. You can simply plan a day or just an outing for a few hours where you let go of the need to check e-mail or use your phone.
We all need time away and then when you come back, it's with more clarity, energy, and perspective.
by Mary Claybon | Jan 24, 2010 | Health and Wellness |
Stress is the result of our reactions. Stress can be positive and stimulate us to be productive and live a full life. Stress can also be negative, and studies and experience tell us that 75 % of most illnesses have their root cause in stress. Prolonged stress depresses the immune system and exhausts our cells.
The Possible causes of stress are our inability to adapt to change, a diet that is high in sugar and junk food, relationship and communication issues, a workload that feels impossible to complete, workplace demands and environmental pollutants, illness and emotional and physical strain.
Some of therapeutic herbs for stress are astragalus, chamomile, gotu kola, horsetail, St. John’s wort, Siberian ginseng, Skullcap, Suma, and Valerian Root. The vitamins we need most when under stress are the B complex vitamins and Vitamin C. (Remember to consult your physician or primary health care provider before taking any herbs or supplements, and be sure to notify them if you are taking anything on a regular basis.)
Be sure to have a stress tool box with techniques that work with your personality. Some helpful ways to counteract stress are by practicing watching your breath and taking slow and deep breaths; exercise, massage, music, reading and warm baths.
For many people it is helpful to have a spiritual practice like daily prayer, meditation or regular attendance at religious services.
Larry Dossey, MD and author of several book including Healing Prayer says he really doesn’t feel stress. He loves his life and work, and has learned to practice meditation – he says “you have to sit down, shut up, and pay attention.”Listen to my interview with Larry Dossey On The Power of Premonitions on Blog Talk Radio Tuesday, February 2 at 4:00 Pm (EST).
What do you do about stress?
