Work, rest, play … exercise? Balance your life.

We all know that to have a productive and successful life we must balance work, rest and play. But what about exercise?

Exercise is also a key element in maintaining your life balance. I’m not talking about running a marathon every week I’m just saying do some small things to help balance out your hectic life. Its so easy to get stuck in a rut as far as exercise goes … I’m guilty of it. We tend to focus on money, work, bills and a myriad of other intrusions that distract us from one of, if not the most important factor … our health.

Keeping healthy will reflect in our work quality and productivity. Being a designer I rely heavily on my creative intuition and what some people call ones inner eye. If I’m laking in creativity and am stuck staring at my screen or a piece of paper with with a mental block i’ll simply get up and go for a short walk or do ten pushups, make a cuppa, then focus on the same problem and hey! Presto! I feel much better and might even have a spontaneous idea. 

Doing exercise releases endorphins into our brain and also gets are heart pumping oxygen through our body and brain. So it only makes sense that if our brain is tired and it’s not coming up with those great ideas, give it a booster of good old oxygen with a hint of endorphin and you should feel much better and be ready to tackle the next problem.

… 10 push ups later …

The word endorphin is actually shorthand for “endogenous morphine” or “morphine within”. Endorphins are a type of neuropeptide produced in your body that boosts your tolerance to pain, calms you during stress, and produces feelings of euphoria, joy, and overall wellbeing.

When endorphins flood your body you feel more relaxed and more able to take on challenges. You feel more cheerful and optimistic, and are easier to get along with than when you have a lot of “stress chemicals” floating around in your body. Because this is the case, some psychotherapists have even recommended boosting endorphin levels to counteract depression. In the positive state of mind induced by endorphins you are better able to make good decisions, envision possible future scenarios, relate well with others, deal with conflict and stress, and take positive action.