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Fitness Friday: Study Shows Active People Are Happy

Friday, January 25, 2013 at 07:06 AM

Happy Friday Bloggies! It’s a Fitness Friday today.  I spent most of the week at a very busy conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.  I knew the schedule was going to be hectic – and truth be told, for a moment while packing last weekend, I almost considered leaving my running shoes at home.  Why take up valuable suitcase space if there’s no time to use them?

When it comes to exercise, it seems to me that there are two kinds of people.  This might be putting it a little too simplistically, but humor me, OK?  The first type are those who look for any excuse to skip exercise. ”I don’t have time, my feet hurt, I’m kind of tired, I think I have a cold coming on.”  Then, there are the second type.  They make exercise a priority and work it into their schedule any way they can.  Why?  Because they know that it makes them feel good.  The line can blur between these two types of people.  Diehard Fitness Fanatics might have a week where they totally go off the wagon, for example.  Or the Exercise-Avoidant may experience a period of time when they are all Workout Nirvana, but they always seem to revert back to their usual outlook eventually.

Personally, I definitely fall into the first category.  I have not been this way my whole life, by the way.  So, my other great thought of the day is that you aren’t born one type or the other.  Your experiences can sometimes shape who you become.  I was the girl who couldn’t run a mile in under 12 minutes in high school.  I came in dead last in a one mile fun run in 4th grade.  I was the kid who would rather stay inside and read a book than play kickball.  Fast forward to now, and I’m on the other side of the fence with the Fitness Fans.  (I prefer “fans” to “fanatics.”)  Daily exercise to me is as natural (and as necessary) as breathing.  Yes, I typically take one day off a week, but the feeling that I get when I’m done with that workout (or even just a walk) is too good to pass up.  Love the post-exercise glow!

Exercise makes you feel good right after your workout – and then some.   A new study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology  found that regular activity is linked with greater happiness over periods of years.  The study, which took place in Canada, was lengthy (over 15 years) and complex – but it’s worth looking at.  One of my favorite findings is that people who changed from being inactive to active were more likely to report feeling happy two and four years later.

Once you get to that happy place with exercise – there’s no turning back.  That’s when you become someone who packs their running shoes (or yoga mat or swimsuit or tennis raquet) no matter what.

So, while in New Orleans, I had very, very little time to hit the gym.  But I knew that a run (even just a 30-minute, 3-miler) was going to start my day off right, so I did it.  I slept (happily) on the plane ride home.

Question of the Day

Which exercise personality type are you?  Have you switched over the years?

Posted by: Melissa 3 comments

Posted in: Fitness Friday

Tags: Fitness Friday