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A relative of mine told me that she was in the midst of her pre-Pesach cleaning when she discovered something not to be believed. She came home from a long day at work, and was faced with more cleaning to do and was exhausted beyond belief. She took a brief rest and then started her tasks, but she was incredibly lethargic. She had no \u201cget up and go\u201d left.<\/p>\n
But it was erev Pesach, and things needed to get done.\u00a0 So, she tried a very novel idea.<\/p>\n
She spent 35 minutes doing her exercise routine.<\/p>\n
Guess what? It \u201cmagically\u201d gave her energy to be able to clean for the next several hours.\u00a0 Now doesn\u2019t that seem to be counterintuitive? Wouldn\u2019t you think that the last thing you would want to do is spend your much needed energy on exercise when there is so much to be done?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s delve into what exactly happened here and how exercise will just about always give you an additional burst of energy when you think you have none left\u2014even more so than a nap.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live in a society where people are always looking for the next sports drink, energy bar, or cup of coffee that will give them the extra edge to get through the day,\u201d says researcher Tim Puetz, PhD. \u201cBut it may be that lacing up your tennis shoes and getting out and doing some physical activity every morning can provide that spark of energy that people are looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although many studies have shown that sedentary people who start a regular exercise program experience an increase in energy levels, researchers had few studies to quantify those effects. In 2006 however, a study was published in the Psychological Bulletin. The researchers analyzed 70 studies on exercise and fatigue involving more than 6,800 people. More than 90 percent of the studies showed the same thing: sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program reported improved fatigue compared to groups that did not exercise.<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, exercise can even be a cure for people who suffer from fatigue. But don\u2019t get nervous that this requires hours and hours of work each day.\u00a0 Even 20-25 minutes of aerobics three to four days a week of low to moderate intensity can do the trick. What is most important is the consistency.\u00a0 Sticking to a routine for 6 consecutive weeks brings about appreciable change. So, what is it exactly that exercise does to bring us the energy we seem to be missing?<\/p>\n
The University of Georgia study, which appeared in the March 2008 issue of the Swiss medical journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic, involved 36 sedentary healthy, young adults who reported persistent fatigue. The study called for a program of moderate-intensity exercise, low-intensity exercise or no exercise for six weeks. The moderate-intensity group was prescribed 20 minutes of exercise on an exercise bike comparable to a fast-paced walk up hills while the low-intensity group biked for the same duration and frequency, but at an intensity level equivalent to a leisurely walk.<\/p>\n
Both exercise groups experienced a 20 percent increase in energy levels by the end of the study compared to the non-exercising group; with the low-intensity group reporting a 65 percent drop in feelings of fatigue while the more intense exercisers reported a 49 percent drop in fatigue.<\/p>\n
Aside from a physiological response, the fact that exercise increases all of the feel-good neurotransmitters also certainly makes us feel better and more energetic.<\/p>\n
As Dr. John Ratey writes, \u201cIt\u2019s all about communication.\u201d\u00a0 The brain is one hundred billion neurons of various types that speak to each other by means of hundreds of different chemicals. Three of the chemicals that we focus on are called regulators.\u00a0 They are serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.\u00a0 They are all called the \u201cfeel good\u201d transmitters. When you exercise, you release more of these. And thereby you influence your mood and your attention in positive ways. The more of the \u201cfeel good\u201d guys, the less depression, anger, anxiety, and the more motivation, positive thinking and happiness you will feel.<\/p>\n
This brings us back to Pesach cleaning\u2014or any other tiring task.<\/p>\n
You might think you need some rest and relaxation to get your energy back, but try exercise.<\/p>\n
I still remember many years ago when I was a musician. I had performed at a wedding that was out of town and ran very, very late. I don\u2019t think I got much more than 3-4 hours of sleep over night and was exhausted from a hard night\u2019s work.\u00a0 I was scheduled to work out with someone later the next day. I thought about canceling and using the time to take a nap, but instead I went to the workout. I told the trainer that I will start but at some point, I will want to cut the workout short.<\/p>\n
What can I say?\u00a0 I started jogging and after 10 minutes I had all my energy working and felt great\u2014and yes, I finished the whole workout!\u00a0 This isn\u2019t to say you don\u2019t need to sleep, you do.\u00a0 But it shows the power of exercise to \u201cwake you up.\u201d Exercising to maintain or increase your energy will \u201cadd hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alan Freishtat<\/strong> is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at\u00a002-651-8502<\/a> or 050-555-7175<\/a>, or by email at\u00a0alan@alanfitness.com<\/a> Check out the his web site \u2013www.alanfitness.com<\/a> US Line: 516-568-5027<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A relative of mine told me that she was in the midst of her pre-Pesach cleaning when she discovered something not to be believed. She came home from a long day at work, and was faced with more cleaning to do and was exhausted beyond belief. She took a brief rest and then started her<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":40028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\n
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