Your Happy Pill. Without The Pill.

So. I realized I left one important item off my pool bag essentials list:

I spotted this must-have Juicy Couture sun visor while on my mission for a new handbag (which I have yet to find).

I didn’t purchase the visor when I found it in the store though.

Why? Well, it was basically the only item in the Juicy Couture store that was NOT  on sale.

And that was just not OK.

I decided if I tried to order it online that somehow I would discover a coupon.

Enter your email address on Juicy’s website and they will send you a 20% off coupon code.

Free Shipping. 

BINGO.

Anyway, while reading the June issue of Fitness Magazine at the pool on Monday, I came across yet another statistic in support of regular exercise:

“Hit the road for more than just an endorphin high. A new study found that regular physical activity was associated with an 85 percent higher likelihood of being happy. Inactive people who added exercise were happier than those who didn’t.”

It just so happens that my most recent guest post for About The Children, LLC relates to this very topic.

While you can click here to view the full post, I am also going to share most of it below as I feel it applies to everyone, not just those going through divorce:

With a show of hands, how many of you exercise on a daily basis?

Ok maybe show of hands isn’t the best approach for us to take.

Without preaching and citing medical jargon (I hate talking about studies and research results) I can tell you from my own experience that simply squeezing in a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity on a daily basis will make a difference in your health – both physically and emotionally.

 KEYWORD FOR US TODAY: EMOTIONALLY

Sure, exercising to fight the battle of the bulge, to build muscle and to reduce your risk of various cancers/diseases is quite important.

But did you know that exercise benefits the mind too? It is like medicine.

Your happy pill. Without the pill.

Exercise releases those happy feeling chemicals that they call endorphins.

Just by getting yourself moving, you will be able to naturally calm your nerves, help your mind to think more clearly and better equip yourself to handle all (ok most) situations in a calmer and more collected manner.

Let’s be honest people. Divorce, separation and custody battles are very difficult for everyone involved in the process.

Just opening my mailbox, unsure of what I was going to be hit with, was stressful.

So stressful that I decided to “go green”.

Yep, I contacted as many companies as I could to alert them that I was part of the green movement and would be paperless going forward.

While exercise won’t magically remove the drama and stress that is life (nor will eliminating mail so I learned), exercising for 30 minutes a day will certainly help you to better deal with whatever is thrown your way.

I know it isn’t easy sometimes to find the motivation (or time) to lace up and get moving.

I know because I have been there.

In fact, I recall one morning in particular where I truly wanted to stay home. I didn’t want to go to the gym, I would have preferred to party in my pity to the tune of my-world-as-I-once-knew-it-was-ending-woah-is-me.

BUT GUESS WHAT- I WENT TO THE GYM. I don’t know how I got myself there but I did. I walked on the treadmill at an extremely slow pace. And when I say slow, I mean a 2.0 mph pace.

As I walked (or inched like a snail which gives a better image of how slow I was moving), I noticed a woman on the elliptical machine in front of me.

WEARING A MAGENTA NIGHT GOWN.

In that moment of watching a woman exercise in her pajamas, I smiled and said, “at least I was able to get dressed.”

I think of that moment often. It reminds me how worth it is to push yourself- you will never regret it.

We can laugh at the woman in her pajamas but who knows- maybe she was going through a divorce and was struggling too and pushed herself to get her daily dose of endorphins.

Don’t belong to a gym? No problem.

You have so many options!

• Go for a walk outside (squeeze it in during your lunch break at work!)
• Have a baby? Take them in the stroller for a walk each day.
• Walk through the mall (window shop- I am not encouraging retail therapy)
• Exercise videos (they even make them downloadable from the internet)
• Yard Work (you will never find me doing yard work but I hear it works up a sweat and is quite calming)

Should I continue?

Please note that I am not even telling you to run. Walking actually offers you the same health benefits as more intense forms of exercise.

Although, I do believe that once you get yourself moving on a regular basis, you are more likely to want t0 challenge yourself by attempting to exercise at a more intense level.

In addition to feeling better emotionally, watch how you will inspire your kids to get moving too. Maybe you can go on family walks together.

Maybe, just maybe, you will find that you have a love for exercise like I do; even create a new hobby for yourself!

And if you lose weight in the process? No need to thank me.

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I need to know:

Do you wear a hat or a visor in the summer? Do you wear one while you run outside?

Do you prefer to shop online or in person?