Friday, December 21, 2007

Play


One of the most important things you can do for your mental and physical fitness health is engage in some sort of active play from time to time. You all remember fun, right (looking in your direction, Chains)? That feeling of enjoyment that seems to make time disappear...that is what we're looking for. Having fun not only decreases cortisol levels (read: stress levels), it often masks how much work you are doing while having it. Usually this is accompanied by a motor pattern or two that are different (but similar) than what you are used to in your training. This helps to keep overuse injuries at bay and your nervous system 'fresh'.

Ok, so what is fun then? Analyzing fun is not so fun. Trying new things is often quite fun. In Crossfit's 'World Class Fitness in 100 Words' there is a recommendation to constantly learn and play new sports. Find a few things in and around the bay that you are interested in and don't be afraid to try them out. Use the fitness you are so busy developing and enjoy it. Sometimes we get so serious with our fitness goals we forget that enjoyment should be a major motivating factor. Don't let working out become a second job! Just because it's fun doesn't mean it's not beneficial.

Play more, stress less,

-Boz

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

With great awe and admiration, all I can say is that this photo is proof positive that Adrian is indeed an orangutan disguised as a human ;)You're amazing, dude.

-Kitty