The Energy Frame: EXERCISE

With our busy 21st-century lives, it's hard to find the time or the energy for exercise. But research has shown that exercise can actually increase your feelings of energy. In fact, it can restore your energy so that you have enough to get all your daily tasks accomplished, and still have some left over to enjoy life.

Scientists are not exactly sure why exercise makes us feel better. One theory is that exercise increases our brain's production of hormones called endorphins, which help to elevate mood and decrease feelings of fatigue. Another theory says that exercise increases the amount of neurotransmitter activity in the brain, also believed to regulate mood and emotions. And a third theory says that it is simply the fact that exercise increases the amount of oxygen that is transported to the brain that gives us those elevated feelings. Whatever the cause, the result is the same. Exercise increases our feelings of health, well-being, self-esteem, and energy.

Regular exercise can make a big difference in your overall energy levels and in how you feel about yourself. This is something Joe Bourdow, president of Val-Pak, recently discovered. Not too long ago he was driving home after work and passed a sign advertising the services of a personal trainer. "I thought, 'Should I? Can I?'" says Bourdow. "I hadn't exercised since I was cut from the baseball team at TC Williams High School in 1968." Intimidated by the thought of starting an exercise program, Bourdow nonetheless decided to talk to the trainer, who then put him on a program of 45 minutes of exercise three days a week.

"I found a trainer who knows how to take care of the body of a middle-aged, not particularly in-shape person. And it's made a tremendous difference in terms of energy and health," adds Bourdow. "And, if you've had a bad day and you're frustrated about work, you just stop by the gym, hit the punching bag and think about all those people who annoyed you so much. After about half an hour, you forget what you were so mad about. It's certainly a reasonable investment for what you get back."

Why is it so important to exercise? You need to oxygenate your tired cells. You're feeding more oxygen-carrying hemoglobin to your red blood cells. Your heart will release more blood with each beat so it works less to circulate it through your body. Physical activity will help your skeletal muscles use oxygen. Your muscle cells become more fit in burning fats and fuel. Your breathing rate is balanced so that you are not winded so easily. The bottom line is you will have more energy to expend.

—Carlson Wade,
Natural Energy Boosters

The Exercise Frame

Here are a few simple hints about exercise:

• Get some rhythm. Music can actually help you exercise. According to Dr. Bob Arnot in his book, The Biology of Success, you will work out harder and longer when you use the correct tempo music to exercise. Energizing music is a big reason that spin and aerobics classes are so popular.

• Exercise relieves PMS. In his book, The Balance, nutritionist Oz Garcia states, "It has been scientifically proven that exercise can help reduce the symptoms of PMS. Aerobic conditioning produces endorphins, neurotransmitter-like compounds that work as both a pain reliever and an anti-depressant. I suggest to my clients who suffer from PMS that they walk, run, or work out in a health club when symptoms arise."

• Use common sense. If you haven't exercised for a while, don't try to run a marathon tomorrow. Even moderate exercise has been shown to lower insulin levels, raise good cholesterol HDL levels, and lower blood pressure. You don't have to be an exercise fanatic to get the benefits of higher energy levels.