Wake Up Your Happy Hormones
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. Prov. 2:20, NIV.
Do you feel tired? blue? anxious? stressed out? If so, what you need is to exercise the 10-step plan and walk it off!
Our bodies have an amazing hormonal system of morphinelike chemicals called endogenous opioids, or more commonly, endorphins. It appears that exercise activates these hormones, helping people feel better.
The Perrier Survey of Fitness in America found that those who had a deep commitment to exercise reported feeling more relaxed, less tired, and more disciplined, had a sense of looking better, greater self-confidence, and increased productivity, and in general felt more at one with themselves.
This information wouldn't surprise your grandmother. She knew that scrubbing the kitchen floor when she felt upset really helped. But today, with our tiny kitchens and easy-to-clean floors and so little time for family or God, what you need is a 20-minute brisk walk in the fresh air—together with your family or God or both.
If you have tried exercise programs before and just couldn't stick with them, try the 10-step plan. All you do is make a commitment to the first 10 steps of a daily walk. That's it. Set the alarm for a certain time, and when it rings, get out of your easy chair, turn off the TV, put on your walking shoes, open the door, and take at least 10 steps. Once they are behind you, you can turn around and go home, if you wish. Or you can continue around the block.
The 10-step plan works because it eases you past those difficult first steps. It gets you up and going, and if you are like most people, once you get going you will finish the entire walk.
Why wait until fatigue, depression, and stress get the best of you, when with the 10-step plan you can exercise those happy hormones, talk to God, enjoy His nature, and perhaps memorize a meaningful passage of Scripture—all at the same time!
Lord, may I walk in the way You would have me go.
Do you feel tired? blue? anxious? stressed out? If so, what you need is to exercise the 10-step plan and walk it off!
Our bodies have an amazing hormonal system of morphinelike chemicals called endogenous opioids, or more commonly, endorphins. It appears that exercise activates these hormones, helping people feel better.
The Perrier Survey of Fitness in America found that those who had a deep commitment to exercise reported feeling more relaxed, less tired, and more disciplined, had a sense of looking better, greater self-confidence, and increased productivity, and in general felt more at one with themselves.
This information wouldn't surprise your grandmother. She knew that scrubbing the kitchen floor when she felt upset really helped. But today, with our tiny kitchens and easy-to-clean floors and so little time for family or God, what you need is a 20-minute brisk walk in the fresh air—together with your family or God or both.
If you have tried exercise programs before and just couldn't stick with them, try the 10-step plan. All you do is make a commitment to the first 10 steps of a daily walk. That's it. Set the alarm for a certain time, and when it rings, get out of your easy chair, turn off the TV, put on your walking shoes, open the door, and take at least 10 steps. Once they are behind you, you can turn around and go home, if you wish. Or you can continue around the block.
The 10-step plan works because it eases you past those difficult first steps. It gets you up and going, and if you are like most people, once you get going you will finish the entire walk.
Why wait until fatigue, depression, and stress get the best of you, when with the 10-step plan you can exercise those happy hormones, talk to God, enjoy His nature, and perhaps memorize a meaningful passage of Scripture—all at the same time!
Lord, may I walk in the way You would have me go.
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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