STREES: ATTITUDE AND EXERCISE
Many hard-chargers are committed to a life mode that has arriving as its prime objective. They are so busy rushing towards their goal they never get to enjoy the journey. Having achieved their goal they are usually unfulfilled, for being in a rush mode, when they arrive they feel disorientated and have to quickly find another goal to rush towards. They seldom, if ever, take time to savour the fruits of a given achievement. Many heart attack, cancer, arthritis, high blood pressure and diabetes victims live by this behaviour code and it’s encouraging to see that more and more doctors are recognising this.
As a result, more and more physicians are using attitudinal healing as their main treatment modality. Attitudinal healing teaches enjoyment of the here and now and to not place more importance on a given achievement than on the process which made it possible. Such changes in attitude have the effect of relaxing us and removing the sensation that life is rushing past us. These attitude changes often necessitate an extension of the time frames needed to achieve our goals. They also encourage us to notice and enjoy more of the commonplace things in life that are so often taken for granted or go completely unnoticed.
The Eastern sages recognised that appropriate physical exercise was needed to help perpetuate attitudes of equanimity and appreciation of the banal. As a result such exercise regimes as Tai Chi and yoga came into existence. The slow rhythmic movements, combined with the deep, slow, rhythmic breathing of these disciplines, tone the muscles in a way that keeps them supple, young and strong. The sensory nerves that travel from the muscles to the brain carry calming nerve impulses that convey the relaxed state of the body to the mind which in turn enhances its relaxed state.
These exercise regimes compare favourably with the rip, tear and bust effect of jogging, aerobics, squash and weight training which, being more in time with a rush, do and bust lifestyle leaves the muscles full of lactic acid which makes them tight, shortened and overly toned (in spasm). Shallow breathing, stiff joints, headaches and awkward gait ensue. The uptight muscles send aberrant nerve impulses up the sensory nerves to the brain, imposing the agitated state of the body on the mind.
Such bodies and minds become rigid and lacking in stamina as evidenced by the frequent colds and ‘flu hard-charging exercise buffs catch. A fit body is one that has a strong resistance to any type of disease and can survive a winter without as much as a sniffle. Unfortunately, the Western definition of a fit body is one that has bulging, hard muscles and can be pushed to inordinate lengths. The chronic pain that lingers after a sports injury has been incurred is an ongoing stress to the body which contributes to the lowering of its resistance and stamina.
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