Activity and Our Well-being
What do these people have in common?
- A 3 year old girl running to her mother across the lawn awkwardly while smiling
- A housewife of 43 years trotting in the park with her colorful running shoes.
- A skinny boy of 15 years trying to keep up with the pack in a cross-country race. His hope is to be part of the team.
- A teacher of 29 years walks to the starting line with his wife, two children and a picnic basket. And he welcomes his opponents with great pleasure.
- Far behind the front riders, soundly defeated, a solitary rider gives the maximum, excited because he is beating his personal best.
- A nuclear physicist, 39 years old passing the finish line, trotting to 36th place, quite pleased with him.
Obviously, each of them has manifested a common interest in running, but each has a different motivation.
In the first description the young girl is running for the pure joy of moving. She can be compared to a young dog chasing a ball or a foal galloping in a pasture. This pleasure from the kinesthetic sensation of speed, power and natural freedom is wild and intrinsic. Her motivation is being present in the moment and embracing the joy of freedom and movement.
Evolving & Growth
Man has indeed evolved. Although, he was not as fast on two legs as most of the large animals with four. These animals in most instances are running for their lives or to catch their dinner; their motivation is survival. Anyone who enjoys running as part of their physical exercise routine knows the pleasure that is experienced during a run.
Ask any of the great runners what their main motivation is behind continuing to run and they will all give a similar story. That is to “being competitive and enjoyed the challenge of the race itself.” Or “running gave them the sense of freedom that no other type of exercise or sport provided.” Case in point is Ron Clarke, who was in his day an outstanding distance runner, once said: “I have a total pleasure to run 100 miles a week. If it was not the case, I would not do it. “
Wellness versus Well-being
Our overall wellness or well-being is not strictly tied to whether or not we engage in the activity of running but we can use this sport as a great example for how embracing what provides us pleasure in sport can support our overall health and wellness. Worldwide there are thousands of people who run for fun. And when they run, they run like the young girl previously mentioned, with an absolute joy. A child can naturally run as a part of any game they are engaged in.
My three year old is runner at heart. He truly runs because he loves to move. He watches his feet hit the ground. H e turns to see the trees on either side of him ‘flash’ by or to catch a glimpse of his reflection in the glass. His motivation is having the ability to move independent of needing assistance from another. Being a little older, his motivation will include the challenge behind the game. As the games will include more formality. Games like tag or many other impromptu races. Later it will include physical wellness to enhance his ability within traditional sports such as basketball, football, rugby, hockey, etc. As adults, our games are reasonable. Mostly our motivation is for improved health and physical wellness and with a hint of competitiveness.
Benefits
We all know and recognize all types of exercise are beneficial to our health. The benefits of sports are not limited to weight loss or muscle, sport also contributes to our physical and mental well being. Putting ourselves up to a challenge allows us to move out of our comfort zone and expand our own capabilities even if just slightly. This translates into improved confidence that is not bound to strictly the sport but also easily moves into our personal and professional lives. We can talk about the endorphins that are released during exercise which positively impacts our moods and enhance our outlook on our reality but what we need to stay focused on is the motivation behind our engagement in sports and activity – the ‘highs’ we experience during activity are wonderful motivation to get up off the couch and get our bodies moving.
Balancing the Pieces
When seeking to find a balance in our lives we need to look at what is the root desire or the outcome we are ultimately seeking. Overall wellness must include a physical element and when we find this challenging to embrace then our motivation to get ourselves moving needs to be strong enough to overcome the barriers before us. Negative thinking, lack of ability, and the simple one of being out of shape and not having the capability to embrace physical activity – or so we think. One of the most important exercises for your well-being is aerobic exercise. This kind of exercise accelerates the heart rate.
We always compare ourselves to others but when looking to include physical activity or increase our level of physical activity to enhance our overall well-being then it is important to remember we can only compete with ourselves. Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask support from a few close friends to help your motivation up and your commitment to improving your overall well-being.
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