In this video we meet with Wendy Ward, PhD to discuss self-care as well as helping others manage their own self-care during COVID-19.
4 Simple Breathing Exercises to Calm (or Boost!) Your Mood
By: Amy Widner, RYT 200 yoga instructor with the UAMS Fitness Center and Ottenheimer Therapy & Fitness Center in the Institute on Aging
If you have ever tried to meditate, chances are the guide instructed you to begin with your breath. Why is this? Two big reasons:
- The breath allows you powerful access to your nervous system.
- The breath is always available.
Altering the breath can help regulate the sympathetic nervous system — the system responsible for our “fight/flight/freeze” response. Certain breathing patterns turn down the sympathetic nervous system, making more room for a parasympathetic response that can be relaxing.
Often I turn to breathing exercises to relax, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes if I feel lethargic or stiff or run down, I actually want to pump myself up with the breath. So here are some basic guidelines for both types:
- Parasympathetic (relaxing) breathing — sighing, belly breathing, long exhales
- Sympathetic (boosting) breathing – breath holding, hyperventilation, shallow breathing
So with those basics in mind, let’s explore four breathing exercises to calm or boost your mood.
The key to each of these exercises is to start by spending a few moments first noticing what you actually need. It might sound simple, but we spend a lot of the day ignoring our needs, so it is worth it to take the time to notice.
Grounding
Start by finding a comfortable position seated or lying down where you feel safe and supported enough to either close your eyes or lower and unfocus your gaze. Spend a few moments observing your inner landscape: the breath, the body, and even your thoughts and emotions for information about how you feel. You don’t have to try to change whatever you find, you’re just gathering information so you can determine what type of breathing exercise might best serve you.
- Breath Lengthening — Count how long it takes for you to inhale, then lengthen your exhale so that it’s at least a count or two longer. Continue, allowing the exhales to get slower and slower. The inhales can slow too, but just keep the exhales even longer. Practice for 2-5 minutes. I find this to be a powerful relaxation tool. What do you observe?
- Belly Breathing — Place your hands on your belly so that the fingertips are touching when you exhale, and so that the fingertips come apart when you inhale. Focus on breathing deep in the belly and observe how it feels. Try for 2-5 minutes. This one is super relaxing for me.
- Joy Breath — When I want to feel pumped up, I practice joy breath. This one is done standing. Have your feet hip-distance apart or a little wider, and put some slack in your knees. You’re going to take three inhales before you exhale. With inhale one, move your arms to the front of your body at shoulder height; with inhale two, move your arms to the sides of the body at shoulder height; with inhale three, move your arms all the way up overhead; and as you exhale, fold forward over your legs, allowing your knees to bend softly. Slowly round your spine as you head back up to standing and try again a for 4 or 5 more rounds. This one leaves me feeling uplifted.
- Holding and Sighing — This exercise combines both relaxing and stimulating breathing types. I find the overall affect to be somewhere in the middle, more balancing. See what you think: Inhale through the nose and then hold at the top of the breath for a count of three. Open your mouth to exhale and make a big sighing noise. Repeat 3-6 more times.
How was that? It’s important to remember that reactions to breathing exercises vary. Just because I find an exercise relaxing doesn’t mean you will. What I find uplifting may leave you feeling overwhelmed.
As you do any breathing exercise, continue to observe how it makes you feel so that you are better equipped to deploy the type of breathing exercise that works best for you in any future situation. In that way, you’ll be creating your own individualized toolkit full of techniques that can be there when you need them.
Hike to Health Part Two: Foot Care
In part one of “Hike to Health”, we examined hiking as an opportunity to perform cardiovascular exercise as a part of a workout program. In part two, we will discuss some additional considerations for those who wish to hike for longer than an hour. The two most important considerations for those who wish to hike all day or for multiple days are footwear and a backpack.
My first experience backpacking was a four-day- weekend trip to Forbidden Plateau in Strathcona Provincial Park located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. During those four days, I hiked with a backpack full of food, clothing, cookware and a sleeping bag. I was 11 years old and with my dad. We hiked almost 35 miles that weekend. The pack I wore was a 20-year-old external frame pack that my dad had bought in high school. My boots, however, had been purchased only a couple of months before the trip and had been worn several times to get my feet accustomed to wearing boots. I tell this story to emphasize a point: if a choice must be made between quality footwear for hiking and a quality backpack, footwear is more important.
Hiking long durations can be done with sore shoulders, but without proper footcare, hiking will quickly become unbearably painful. Because my feet never bothered me, my first multiple day hiking experience was wonderful, and it is something that I have continued to do for the past 25 years. Since then I have gone on to hike numerous trails in Arkansas, Alberta, British Columbia and Oregon, and I have climbed a couple of 14,000-foot mountains in Colorado.
Proper footcare begins with properly fitting boots or hiking shoes. When it comes to purchasing hiking boots, buy the best quality boots you can afford. My last pair of hiking boots cost around $200 and that was 10 years ago. My next pair of boots will likely cost more. Some things in life are acceptable to buy cheap and replace often. It is not so with hiking boots for someone that wants to do all-day or multiple-day hiking trips. When it comes to boots, buy once, cry once. Your feet will thank you and your hiking experience will be enjoyable rather than miserable. Ten miles into a 20-mile hike is not when boots need to fail.
When considering purchasing a hiking boot, purchasing in person is the best bet. Go shopping in the late afternoon or evening. Feet are slightly larger at the end of the day than the beginning due to the pressure exerted on the feet from supporting the body all day while standing or moving. If buying from an online retailer, make sure that something like a 30-day-no-questions-asked return policy exists. Being stuck with poorly fitting boots is as much of a pain as being stuck with cheap boots that are not built to handles long hikes carrying heavy loads.
Another important consideration when trying boots is to wear the same socks during the shopping as will be worn during the hiking. Thin synthetic material with moisture-wicking properties or merino wool socks should be worn directly over the skin of the feet. Socks made from materials that will pull sweat away from the skin and stay dry are crucial to preventing blisters. Never wear cotton socks while hiking long distances. Once wet, cotton stays wet for a long time and creates the friction that causes blisters and miserable feet. The only thing that is more painful for feet than blisters while hiking is stepping on a Lego in the middle of the night while stumbling to the bathroom in the dark.
Once a pair of boots has been selected, it is advisable to have a break-in period with the boots. Purchase the boots far enough in advance of a long hike that there will be enough time to walk a minimum of 25 miles of easy walking prior to a long hike. The easy walks can be done around the neighborhood or on short trails that can be completed in a couple of hours or less. Showing up in a pair of untested boots for an all-day or multiple-day hike is asking for a miserable experience. During this break-in period, wear good socks and take note of any areas on the feet that develop hot spots, especially on the heels or around the toes. Before embarking on a serious hike, these areas should be given additional protection by using moleskin or leukotape. These are products designed to be placed on specific body areas prone to increased sweating and friction that will result in blisters.
Taking care of the feet with proper foot care by preventing problems is key to ensuring that hiking is a positive experience. Shortchange the feet and the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors while getting some exercise will be short-lived.
Hunger Games
By Margaret Pauly, MS, RD, LD, Culinary Nutritionist, UAMS Culinary Medicine Program
I saw a funny meme today about eating, pandas and the pandemic. I don’t want to lose you in the telling of the joke, so here’s the meme:
It’s cute, and it helps relieve our stress a bit through laughing at the funny pandas and a bit at ourselves. Often we will make jokes about our food choices or over-eating but many times we are crying inside. Know the feeling? I do!
I want to share a few tips with you on how to avoid the crying inside part and help you during these hunger games. I call it hunger games because your head is playing with you. Your stomach says, “nah, I’m fine. I don’t need that ____ (insert food of choice here – cupcake, king-size bag of Cheetos, bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese, etc.) You don’t need that big ol’ bowl of comfort!” But then your head starts talking and says, “Come on, what’s one more cupcake going to do to you? And Cheetos only have 140 calories per serving. So what if you ate the whole bag? You’ll work it off.” And so the battle begins.
This is a stressful time, no doubt about it. We feel that we need comfort food. We look for, think of, and make comfort food. It helps us feel better. Momentarily. Then the guilt sets in and the evil cycle begins.
Let’s look at how we can stop that cycle and end the hunger games.
- If you don’t buy it, you can’t eat it.
Sounds simple and it is – if you are the only one in the house. Remember, if you don’t need the junk food, no one else needs it either. You all will survive.
- Keep healthier food available.
Have a bowl of fruit on the counter and cut-up veggies and a low-fat dip or hummus in the fridge. The reason that junk food gets eaten is its availability. If you have to go out and buy the fruit or get in the fridge and cut up the vegetables, you might not do it. Do a bit of prep in advance and make the healthy choice the easy choice.
- Drink a glass of water.
Is it thirst or hunger? Sometimes we don’t know. Drink an 8-oz. glass of water when you think you are hungry and then wait 15 minutes. If you are still hungry after that, then go ahead and have a healthy snack.
- Ask yourself – “Am I Hungry?”
I want to share this great website with you, Am I Hungry? Dr. Michelle May is an expert in mindful eating and came up with 101 Things to Do Besides Eat.
I use this for myself and share with patients. Just like children need to be redirected at times so they will stop doing something you don’t want them to do, we may need to redirect ourselves. We get into patterns where we eat emotionally – boredom, anger, and stress can all work against us and make us want to eat even if we are not hungry. Pick 5 things on the list that you like to do and highlight them. Keep this on the refrigerator or pantry door and refer to it the next time you want to reach in for a snack. Ask yourself if you are hungry. If not, then go and do one of the 5 things you highlighted. Trust me on this, it will help you get more in tune with your hunger cues.
- Take a walk.
Or a run, bike ride, hike, or dance in the living room. Exercise – or activity – is a great way to get more in tune with your body. When you are in tune with your body, you are more mindful about the food choices you make. Activity and exercise can also relieve stress – an added bonus!
- Be sure you are getting enough sleep.
Sleep deprivation can cause people to overeat. Instead of trying to wind down at night by drinking an extra glass of wine or eating a snack, try meditation, yoga, or a short walk. Even simple stretching exercises can relax you enough to get better sleep. Try one of our 15 minute Yoga videos from the UAMS Fitness Center.
- Try some new recipes.
We have a lot of easy and inexpensive recipes in our Culinary Medicine program that are similar to comfort food favorites but are much healthier. They all come with nutrition information to help you eat the appropriate serving size. This is a good way to start cooking healthier and to avoid large portions. Healthy Recipes!
- Still need more help? Contact a registered dietitian.
UAMS outpatient dietitians are providing telemedicine visits and can help you make better food choices. More information available here: Outpatient Nutrition Services
I hope these tips help you through this difficult time and afterwards. May the odds be forever in your favor!
7 Self-Care Practices During the COVID-19 Crisis
By Matthew Boone, LCSW, Director of Programming and Outreach for the Student Wellness Program at UAMS and an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry.
This is a hard time for everyone. Most of us are familiar with self-care basics: eat well, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and balance work and play. But what if that’s not enough? Below are 7 psychological self-care practices you can add to your toolbox, with links to research and deeper dives on the subject matter.
Connect with your values. It’s easy to do things because we “should” or “have to.” Instead, consider connecting what you do to what’s most important in your life – i.e., your values. Ask yourself how your actions connect to your values across various life domains, like family, relationships, spirituality, and work. How do you want to show up in these areas? Values dignify the normal pain of living in difficult times and provide motivation for moving forward even when things are hard. And research suggests that alignment between our values and our work has at least as much impact on burnout as how overloaded we feel.
Focus on what you can immediately control. So much of life right now is out of our control. Try focusing on what you can control, like your actions, instead of what you can’t control, like what’s going to happen in the future, what other people do, or whether you feel strong emotions. Turn your attention to taking care of your health and the health of others (e.g., social distancing, handwashing, exercising). Think about how you want to support the people in your life. Nothing’s going to be easy in the near term, but you can choose actions that make a difference.
Practice acceptance of your thoughts and feelings. If you try not to think of a white bear for the next minute, what do you think will happen? Research suggests you will think about white bears a lot. It’s no surprise then that suppressing negative thoughts and feelings tends to rebound, creating more suffering. Instead, practice being willing to engage with what you think and feel, perhaps offering yourself gentle encouragement, such as: “It’s okay to feel anxious;” “Every feeling has a beginning, middle, and end;” or “Feeling this way doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with me.” This is what acceptance looks like. It’s not giving up, giving in, or resigning yourself. It means being willing to have what’s already there.
Cultivate self-compassion. Many of us tend to mentally turn on ourselves when things are hard, making a bad situation even worse. Perhaps out of habit, we criticize our actions and judge what we think and feel. Sometimes this works, but it also saps our motivation and leaves us feeling defeated. Try offering yourself support, understanding, and even love. It won’t turn you into a narcissist, and it might just bring you a small sense of peace during trying times. Check out these practices from the science of self-compassion.
Practice gratitude. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s good when so much feels so bad. Cultivate a practice of acknowledging, both to yourself and to others, what you’re grateful for: good relationships, supportive colleagues, devoted pets, meaningful work, and small moments of pleasure. Gratitude is best thought of as a practice – something you do – rather than something you feel.
Give yourself (and others) a break. Don’t expect more from yourself than is reasonable. You might not be especially productive right now; you might not be particularly focused. You don’t have to turn your extra free time into a radical self-improvement project. Just do what you can. And give permission to others to do the same, especially those you work and live with.
Seek social connection. There is no good way to go through this alone. Reach out to the people in your life, whether in person, via phone, or by videoconferencing. Social distancing is socially isolating, and most of us are not built for long periods alone. Share your experiences, share your worries, or just share a meal. Be with the people who matter to you.
Hike to Health
To paraphrase the illustrious Buzz Lightyear from the Pixar movie Toy Story, hiking is walking with style. Walking has many benefits and with limited options, it is one of the easiest forms of exercise to consistently perform. All that is required is a decent pair of shoes or hiking boots. Depending on pace, walking is a mild or moderate intensity form of exercise. As a mild intensity exercise, a pace of 3 mph or less is a good pace. A walking pace of 3 to 4 mph is a moderate intensity pace. For most people, a pace somewhere between 4 to 4.5 mph becomes a jog.
Beyond the health benefits of increasing physical activity, walking — especially outside in nature — offers an excellent opportunity to de-stress and clear the mind after a hard day. If there is a limiting factor to the health benefits of walking, especially for those whose pace remains at 3 mph or less, it is that it is not fast enough of a pace to create substantial calorie burn if one of the goals of a walking program is to reduce body fat. At a pace that is mild intensity, most people are going to need to walk for 60-90 minutes per day, every day if significant fat reduction is to occur. That kind of time commitment is not practical for most people.
For people who are looking to utilize walking as a method for fat loss, but are not yet fit enough to move at a faster pace or, like myself, do not enjoy running at faster paces often, another option needs to be considered. An easy solution is to graduate from walking to hiking — the primary difference being that when hiking, a person carries an additional load. Carrying additional weight makes walking more challenging and more effective for increasing calorie burn without having to move at a faster pace.
There are two tools that can be used to accomplish this: a weighted vest and a quality hiking backpack. A weighted vest is the more affordable and easily accessible of the two options, which is why it was one of the recommended tools in the article “Four Fitness Tools under $100”. A quality backpack is not needed unless a person is considering taking up hiking as a hobby that will turn into all day, weekend or weeklong backpacking trips. Guidelines for picking a quality pack for hiking will be addressed later.
When considering how much of a load should be carried, it is important to recognize that every body is built differently. A man who is 6’4”, 250 lbs., and built like an NFL linebacker has a body that is different from a woman who is 5’4” and 140 lbs. For this reason, picking arbitrary weight loads to carry does not make much sense. Suggesting both people can carry a 30-lb load and the effects on their bodies be the same is not logical. Rather, it makes more sense to recommend loads based upon a percentage of the individual person’s body weight. So instead of suggesting both people carry a 30-lb load, it makes sense to suggest that each person carry 10% of their individual body weight. This way, each person is doing an equivalent amount of work relative to his or her own body. In this example, the man would be carrying a load of 25 lbs., while the woman carries a load of 14 lbs., but both are adding the same amount of work in relation to body size. If both carried a 30-lb. load, the woman would be doing considerably more work than the man given the difference in body sizes.
Estimating the caloric expenditure of hiking while carrying a weight load is difficult. It will vary depending upon several factors. The specifics of that science go beyond the scope of this article. However, Outside magazine (Hutchinson, 2018) has an excellent writeup for anyone who is interested in really diving into the science of this. What is important to note is that hiking with a load, especially in hilly terrain, creates similar increases in heart rate and oxygen consumption (VO2max) to those seen in other forms of cardiovascular exercise such as running (Perrey & Fabre, 2008). In the context of exercise science research, heart rate measurements and oxygen consumption are indicators of caloric expenditure.
What is most important to note is that hiking with weight is a viable option for people who want to significantly burn a lot of calories but do not want to do running or cycling. This is the important takeaway: when done correctly, the potential exists for hiking — when carrying a load — to be as effective for fat loss as other types of cardiovascular exercise.
The chart below offers a six-week sample training program for including hiking as a component of fitness. A light load would be up to 10% of body weight, a moderate load 10-20% of body weight, and a heavy load would be anything over 20% of bodyweight. As a note on safety, when hiking the risk of injury-related to carrying a load increases dramatically when the load increases to more than 30% of body weight (Grenier, et al., 2012). For the purposes of general health and fitness, the risk-reward tradeoff is not worth it to exceed 30% of body weight.
Intro to Hiking Program
Week | % of Body Weight | Days Per Week | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
One | 10 | 3 | 20 minutes |
Two | 10 | 4 | 30 minutes |
Three | 20 | 3 | 30 minutes |
Four | 20 | 4 | 45 minutes |
Five | 20 | 3 | 60 minutes |
Six | 20 | 4 | 60 minutes |
References
Grenier, J. G., Peyrot, N., Castells, J., Oullion, R., Messonnier, L., & Morin, J.-B. (2012). Energy Cost and Mechanical Work of Walking during Load Carriage in Soliders. Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1131-1140.
Hutchinson, A. (2018, June 06). The Ultimate Backpacking Calorie Estimator. Retrieved from Outside Magazine: https://www.outsideonline.com/2315751/ultimate-backpacking-calorie-estimator#close
Perrey, S., & Fabre, N. (2008). Exertion Uphill, Level, and Downhill Walking With and Without Hiking Poles. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 32-38.
Four Fitness Tools for Under $100
Fitness centers and gyms are closed everywhere. Unfortunately, it may be a while before this aspect of life returns to normal. Now, perhaps more than any other time, the need for simple, affordable — and most importantly, effective — exercise equipment is key to maintaining an active lifestyle. As the title of this article suggests, the list that follows includes great tools that cost at or below $100. As a bonus, I will recommend one item that is over $100, if the flexibility in your budget exists.
As the manager of the UAMS Fitness Center, I have 14 years of experience working within the fitness industry. I hold a master’s degree and have been certified as a personal trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine since 2007. If you are unfamiliar with my personal fitness journey, I was a heavyset kid during my teenage years. At the age of 16, I weighed 260 lbs. My fitness journey resulted in my losing 100 lbs. by the time I graduated from high school. The weight has stayed off for 21 years now.
I am not about gimmicks and garbage. Most articles written in this format are. These types of articles found in the mass fitness media are nothing more than over-glorified sales ads. This is different. There are years of real and tangible results behind these recommendations, not just for me, but for personal training clients as well. When building a home gym, I am a minimalist: minimal cost and minimal space occupied. Home gyms need to be about creating effective training with minimal inconvenience to life in the home. Everything on this list is in my home and will be my primary implements for training in the coming weeks.
- Good Shoes or Hiking Boots: For people like myself who enjoy recreating in the great outdoors, you learn to live by a simple rule: healthy feet are performing feet. Performing feet are attached to healthy bodies. Distance runners understand this, as do backpackers, hikers and the military. If the feet are miserable, you are not going anywhere. If you can spend $100 on one item, spend it here. Personally, I will spend more for good shoes or boots than for other clothing items. Take the time shop around and try several brands. It may take several tries before finding a pair that will clearly stand out as being right for your feet.
- Exercise Bands: There are different styles of bands. Long tube bands with handles attached and small bands without handles are the two most common types. Often, these bands can be bought in sets with varying resistances and come with posters or exercise books demonstrating a plethora of exercises that may be performed with the bands. For people who are inexperienced with training with barbells and dumbbells, bands can be an effective and safe way to strength train.
- Jump Rope: If you’re looking for simple, affordable and incredibly effective, it doesn’t get better than this. Take the time to relive part of your childhood by utilizing one of the most effective training tools ever devised. Jumping rope is hard regardless of fitness level. It is one of the most time-efficient ways to burn calories while increasing cardiovascular health and coordination. It is also a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.
- Weighted Vest: Depending on the brand and price, these can be available as light as 10 lbs. and as heavy as 80 lbs. The most commonly available weights tend to be 20 lbs. and 40 lbs. A weighted vest is an excel
lent tool for increasing caloric expenditure during cardiovascular exercise, or, can make body weight strength training more challenging. As a bonus, simply wearing it will give you a taste of what your body will feel like if you gain excess body fat. For those who are inexperienced with a weighted vest, I recommend purchasing one that is adjustable from 0-20 lbs. as a starting point and begin by simply wearing it around the house or walks around the neighborhood. While highly effective, training with a weighted vest will make the body more sore than normal after a workout. It is something to work into slowly.
Bonus Equipment: Bowflex adjustable dumbbells. I would not own these if it had not been a wedding present. My set is the 5-52.5 lb. set. For most people, this will be more than adequate in the context of a home gym. Most fitness equipment sold via infomercials is complete garbage. These have a well-deserved place in a home gym if the price is not an issue. Anything that can be done with dumbbells in the gym can be done with these. My set is 12 years old and has held up well.
COVID-19 Hotel/Apartment Discounts
We have worked with Human Resources to provide a list of discounts being offered at local area hotels and apartments in central Arkansas. Click the tabs at the bottom of the document to navigate between apartment and hotel rentals. We will update this information as information is received. Don’t see your apartment or hotel you are using listed? Let us know at gethealthy@uams.edu.
Exercise as Self-Care for Stress
By Adam Carter, manager, UAMS Fitness Center
Challenging times lead to high levels of stress. I am going to stare into a mirror and chew myself out for being a redundant Captain Obvious. Perhaps, I will let my toddler son slap me around a little. He takes great joy in it and will anyway, so I might as well use it as motivation. Stress is constant in everyone’s life. I’m currently working mostly from home, with two sons that would normally be in school and toilet training the toddler — all while we are supposed to be staying isolated from friends and family. Add to this the challenge of trying to adjust to the new normal of life. I am grateful to only have these as my sources of stress.
I am going to repeat myself: stress is a constant in everyone’s life. The question simply becomes a matter of how to manage it. The dictionary defines stress as “a state of stress, especially: one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium.” (Merriam-Webster, 2020) During periods of difficulty, especially during prolonged periods of high stress, one tends to have limited vision, focusing on this as the only way to view stress. It is not.
Not all stress is harmful. Stress should not be thought of as an isolated definition or a stationary point in time. Rather, it should be thought of as a continuum, or, a pendulum swinging back and forth between the two states of stress: eustress and distress. Being in a state of distress is simply remaining in a state of stress as described above. Eustress is the positive form of stress. That is not a joke. The right stress can be very beneficial, and exercise is one of the best tools to create eustress. Eustress is “a positive form of stress having beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance and emotional well-being” (Merriam-Webster, 2020).
If your family is like mine, cabin fever has been setting in strong. It is used to be that relaxing time at home was a rarity, a time of eustress. Under the current circumstances, it feels like this has flipped into distress. Time with family in an enjoyable activity is a great way to move toward a life lived in eustress. If the kids are out of the house while maintaining social distancing, even better. To achieve this, my wife and I took our three boys for a hike around the neighborhood. Not a walk, a hike through a hilly neighborhood while I was carrying the toddler in a hiking pack, about a 40lb load. The delightful child took advantage of his opportune position to repeatedly lick the back of my bald head throughout the duration of the hike.
It has been well documented that exercise has numerous physical health benefits. What is often missed is the mental and emotional health benefits. One of the most positive effects of exercise, especially vigorous exercise, is emotional and mental centering. Centering could also be thought of as balancing or realigning ones mental or emotional state. In fact, centering has been found in both men and women to be one of the leading causes of engaging in vigorous exercise, with the primary benefit being immediate distraction and relief from troubles (Johnson, 2004). Want to instantly feel better? Engage in a physical activity that causes sweating.
A friend of mine that served in the Marines told me of a Marine Corps. axiom that I believe should be on the minds of everyone during difficult days such as these: the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle. I am going to paraphrase it for the purpose of this discussion.
The more I sweat in exercise, the less I stress in life
The meaning behind this is simple. Hard physical work better prepares both the body and the mind for when life is hard. Stressing the body reduces the effects of stress on the emotions and mental state. The kind of exercise is not as important as performing it consistently. So, as the days turn into weeks and times grow harder, do not neglect exercise. May your mind be clear, your emotions controlled, and may your head be covered in sweat, not drool.
References
Johnson, K. (2004). Conquering Depression & Anxiety Through Exercise. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books.
Merriam-Webster. (2020, March 30). Eustress. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eustress
Merriam-Webster. (2020, March 30). Stress. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stress
Landscaping Tips with Penny
Since it is spring, we reached out to our favorite horticulturist on campus, Penny Talbert for some landscaping tips. Penny and her team keep our campus beautiful, so who better to ask!
#1 Soil and bed prep
The foundation or soil structure your plants have to grow into is the most important aspect of gardening. If your pH and nutrients are balanced along with correct moisture and light exposure, you can grow almost anything. Your plants will be healthy and thrive when given good soil.
#2 Wrong plant and/or wrong place
Know the plant’s mature size, not how cute it is in the bucket today!
Know the sun/shade exposure needs, moisture needs, etc.
#3 Too many plants for a space
Much like wrong plant, wrong place. Too many plants in one landscape bed can cause problems. Pruning can be required more often due to overcrowding.
Air flow can be restricted around plants and this can cause fungal and insect problems.
#4 Too many of the same plant
If your landscape consists of one species or large sections of one species, an insect or disease can damage or kill all these plants at once. This can be extremely costly. Diversity in the landscape instead of a monoculture will create a healthier environment for plant life.
#5 Create YOUR home landscape
If you like an all-white blooming garden, select white blooming plants. If you like a rainbow of colors, plant them all. If the plant is correct for the environment and you like it, it’s your choice. Give your space a personality or a bit of whimsy. Your landscape should be an extension of your home, where you and others feel welcome.