It’s time to Exercise. Now.

I know you have heard about this a zillion times before and have read about it everywhere. For the past few years, I have been preaching about the power of exercise and all that it has to deliver, and I know it sounds so repetitive and well, maybe a bit annoying, but right now, at this time, there is no better reason to exercise. Now.

With good reason.

Mom’s Are Not Happy.

Recently in my Facebook feed, I came across @Ericaehm and her astonishing survey results on how much emotional weight Canadian moms are carrying on their shoulders. Holy geez! My eyes bulged out of my sockets when I saw that only 7% of moms are “doing fine”. The scary thing is, who knows what doing fine actually means? I asked for the details of this survey from over 100,00 moms, but do I actually need it? From this scary and depressing statistic, I know one thing for certain. This pandemic is taking its toll. Mom’s are not happy. Dad’s are probably not happy either. Don’t forget about the kids. I think it’s safe to say that everyone is having a hard time. And this is why It’s time to exercise. Now.

It’s out of our control

The problem is, we are not making the rules. They may be conflicting and confusing, but they have been thought out and constructed in the best way that our government administration sees fit so that we can decrease the overcrowding in our hospitals and scale down the number of positive COVID-19 cases. That’s all very nice and good, but let’s take a moment to see what the real problem here is.

Someone else is instructing us on how to live our lives.

Even though all of these rules are for our health and safety, it still makes us feel frustrated, sad, and not in control.

What do we do when we feel these awful feelings? You know where I’m going. Directly to the ________ . (place choice of addiction here) Whether it’s alcohol, chocolate, cigarettes, or cotton candy. It doesn’t matter. I am not here to judge. We all have that “thing” that calms us down and triggers a neurotransmitter in our brains called Dopamine, otherwise known as the pleasure hormone.

I don’t blame you for making a beeline to your happiness product of choice when you are spending most of your waking hours between the four walls of your home. It’s getting to us. And we want a treat! The question is, how much? How often? Really… how often?

Switch!

I have an idea.

All you have to do is switch the substance that is dragging you down, you know that activity that you filled in here _______. With a little exercise. But wait! What about that happy hormone that we all love so much? Not to worry my pretty – you will still get that Dopamine with exercise but with such a greater gain.

I will admit, this process of switching habits looks great on paper. It takes bravery and courage to accomplish. The question is, can you actually do it? Do you have time to do it?

If you have time to watch Netflix, YouTube, or Tik Tok, you have time to exercise. Yes, screen time may be more relaxing and extremely enticing not to mention hypnotizing, but it’s all about priorities and making it happen. We are talking about your mental health here and every mental health professional knows that exercise makes us feel good.

How badly do you want to come out of this pandemic feeling stronger, healthier, and most importantly, in control?

If you think about it, by caving into those habits that make us feel good but aren’t the greatest for our health, you are allowing this pandemic to take control.

If you make the decision to exercise instead, YOU are taking control of YOUR LIFE. And, you are still getting what you want. To feel good, happy, and calm. Exactly what Dopamine delivers.

Doesn’t it make sense to replace the _______ with exercise?

I’m not asking you to run a marathon. Or even 10K. The next time you have a difficult day at work or your son turns off his Zoom class for the 8th time or asks you for help with his algebra (???), take just 20 minutes for yourself and go for a walk outside. Try this amazing #OffRoadSpeedPlay routine or one of these classes, instead of ________.

It’s time to exercise. Now. And when you do, let’s see what happens to your mood. I bet you will be surprised.

One more thing, if you need help making this “switch”, or are struggling with your mental health in any way, please contact your doctor so you can speak to a professional about it. Here are some great resources: @kidshelpphone and @cmhanational.

I also happen to have a few friends in the business. If you reach out to them, tell them you’re a buddy of mine. 😉

http://www.sarishaicovitch.com

https://tanialewistoronto.com/

www.Lizwaisberg.com

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I’m so grateful to be able to have the opportunity to write what I’m passionate about and what I think will serve others. If you would like me to write about you and your passions for the Braves The Waves Journal, or for your own company, please be in touch.