Jogging Your Way to Joy

Jogging for Joy: - A great way to keep happy is to walk. It is good at all ages, young and old. It is said to be one of the best life time habits. Brisk walking, jogging and running are the exercises that not only keeps you physically fit and mentally alert but keeps your heart singing! According to health experts, chemicals called endorphins are released by the brain when you do exercise. The endorphin gives a feeling of happiness and wellbeing. University of California psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, based on research findings by her and others, gave certain practical suggestions for a more satisfying life. (as published in Mind and Body Happiness Time, January 2005 - http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article). One of the suggestions is to take care of the body. It says that getting plenty of sleep, exercising, stretching, smiling and laughing can all enhance your mood in the short term. Practised regularly, they can help make your daily life satisfying.


How do I Jog: - You may do running, jogging or brisk walking? Among the three, running is the fastest and most vigorous, jogging is slower than running and faster than walking. While walking, one foot is always on the ground but during jogging and running, both feet are often above the ground in the air. If you are a beginner, you may start with brisk walking and do jogging and running later, if you like. While doing these exercises, please see that you carry your body straight and not bent forward, head is not drooping and you are looking ahead and not at the ground. Your shoulders are loose and relaxed and your hands swing aside close to your body. You may do these exercises indoors like walking or running in place, as if on a treadmill, without moving ahead. But doing it outside in the fresh air is better. If you are doing it indoors, better to do it near an open window so that you get enough fresh air.

Consult your doctor: - These are the exercises that one can do irrespective of one’s age. No gadgets are required and hence you are not spending a pie. You can do it in your home or outside. Though mornings and evenings are better, you can do it any time of the day. You can do it in one go or in few short spells. Before starting, you may better consult your physician that you can do these and the period for which you should do it. If you are not doing anything, just start with going for a short walk and gradually change over to jogging or running. You may start with few minutes and increase up to a maximum of 30 minutes. You should ensure that you are not overdoing because it may strain and harm you joints and muscles. Avoid overload.

Take care of your food: -Your diet influences your disposition. It sustains and nourishes your body. It affects both your body and mind. Drugs and alcohol show its effect immediately. Other foods take time in getting digested and assimilated into blood before its effect is felt. It is therefore important that you discreetly plan what you eat and when you eat what. You should ensure that your diet is balanced and include adequate amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water, minerals and vitamins. Further, the food you take should be easily digestible by you. Within the balances diet, you have the choice of taking one item or the other, meat or no meat, vegetarian or non-vegetarian. It is believed that vegetarian diet is better suited to our system and it may keep you healthier in the long run. But, nevertheless, ensure that your diet contains sufficient vegetables, fruit juices and those having more liquid content.

Benefits of Jogging: -These exercises are called aerobic exercises because they involve intake of more oxygen by speeding up breathing. The heart beats faster and stronger pumping more blood and oxygen into the muscles. Running regularly has many benefits and directly and indirectly contributes to good health and happiness and well being. It improves your health and keeps you in shape. It flushes out toxins from the body. It decreases the risk of several diseases. It may help in fat loss. It strengthens immune system. It alleviates or removes stress and tension. It gives you confidence and a winning attitude. It keeps you energetic the whole day. It induces sound sleep. It keeps your body fit and in shape. It flushes out toxins from your system.


From Jogging to Joy:- According to recent studies, exercises, particularly aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, running, jogging, and swimming produce endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are chemical released in the brain when you intake anti depression drugs like heroin and morphine. Endorphins are neurotransmitters produced in the brain and it gives relief from pain. They induce the state of euphoria or what is said as “natural high” or “runner’s high”. It is believed that continuous exercise for about 20 minutes or so contributes to secretion of the endorphins into the brain causing the euphoria sensation. Endorphins are said to reduce stress and strengthen the immune system. The level of euphoria caused varies from person to person and is also dependent upon the amount of exercise. But regular physical exercise appears to be an effective tool to your feeling of happiness and well being. But the matter is not free from controversy. Some scientists believe that the positive feeling during a physical challenge, rather than the exertion of exercise, is what stimulates the endorphins release. But the fact remains that these exercises are not only responsible for good health but also give you relief from stress, tension, fatigue and anger and lead you to joy.


Energizing while jogging: - According to yogic philosophy, there are two types of energy on which the body works. One is the energy we get from the intake of food, liquids and air we breathe. The other is the cosmic energy. The cosmic energy is sucked in automatically into the body through the medulla oblongata located in the posterior bottom part of the brain. The yogis, through the breathing exercises and the power of will, cause this energy to flow into the body. It is possible to increase the flow of this energy into your body, if you, while exercising, visualise that this cosmic energy, warm and golden in colour, is sucked inside through the medulla with each inhalation. Visualise that it enters through the medulla and then into the nervous system and then to all the cells of your body. Visualise, with flow of this energy, your body becomes vibrant with energy, radiant with health and glowing with joy. Your visualisation will strengthen your will power over a period of time and cause the cosmic energy to flow inside.

Develop Happy Attitude: - Enjoy your walking. Remain mentally relaxed. While walking outside, there may be other people. Associate with those who talk positive. Avoid the negative minded. Your body pose indicate the state of your mind. When happy, you stand tall and erect with you chest out and a smile on your face and joy in your heart. Learn to walk like that. Enjoy the environment. Feel happy. Feel the energy within and carry yourself as a happy and contented person. All these will set the right chemistry in your brain to keep you happy If you are indoors, do put on a music that is positive and that makes you sing.