What a wonderful way to start the weekend - so I heard many people say. Out of dozens other events happening in London that very weekend, two thousand tree lovers, enthusiasts, gym bunnies and yummy grannies chose to take part in a very unique event - an annual 5k run for trees round Battersea Park. And what a beautiful morning it was -perhaps even too warm for a mid September day, but who really cared? Most seemed delighted to start their day - their weekend- with an early run round Battersea park. But why? As a friend rightfully told me, 'because it feels great'. Right, so the actual running might be ever so slightly tiring, painful, even a drag for some, but if half an hour of slightly tiresome, strenuous work makes one feel so wonderful for an entire day, then it can only be worth the effort. Seeing so many glowing, happy faces - both before hand and after- confirmed this fact. It is true that the atmosphere of an event of this kind adds to the buzz - it gives a sense of community, mutual respect, a positive feeling of all supporting the same cause - a bond even, but much of the happy faces can be plainly explained by the benefits of exercise and the release of endorphins.
I found wikipedia has a great answer to what they call a 'runner's high':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphins#Runner.27s_high
So exercise demands some kind of effort and whether one enjoys the actual strain of dynamic activity, it makes one feel great - both physically (increased strength, stamina, better body tone etc) and mentally (partly a consequence of the latter, increased confidence, stress relief etc). And this seems to be a widespread, highly publicised fact - how many ads, posters or press articles have I read along the lines of 'exercise, feel great'. So why don't we all get out there, ditch the car, get walking, jogging running, and moving our limbs? I would see so many more happy, glowing and relaxed faces if everyone did.
No comments:
Post a Comment