During stressful times, it is easy to forget about our health. With the Coronavirus wrecking havoc on our economy, our jobs, and our mind, humans will always resort to following Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs whether they know it or not. For those who are unaware or if you simply need a refresher, his model is as follows:
- Physiological- air, food, water, shelter, sleep, clothing, reproduction. The things we absolutely need to survive.
- Safety- protection, health, employment, resources. The second priority once our physiological needs are met.
- Love and belonging- family, friends, intimacy.
- Esteem- respect, status, freedom.
- Self-actualization- desire to be the best version of YOU. Everyone strives for, but few achieve.
This theory is centered around what motivates human behavior, not necessarily what are the biggest contributing factors to happiness. For example, physiological needs (level 1), are the basis for human existence because we need food, water and air to survive, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it brings us the most joy. An example would be if you go 12 hours without eating and are “starving” and you finally get that meal, you will receive temporary satisfaction from eating but only an hour or two later that satisfaction may go away. Moreover, if stress from your marriage or job arises, you quickly forget about what you ate a couple hours later and focus on what matters more to you. Stress is a constant in life and is found everywhere, no matter what stage you are at in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. So how can you reduce stress so that you can climb that hierarchy and reach true self-actualization? Well, there are many methods to reduce stress and keep your mind sharp but for the purposes of this post we will talk about one of the easiest and most common ways, exercise!
For some of you, this is nothing new. Perhaps you wake up every morning and exercise before the sun comes up, or maybe you go for a run every day during your lunch break at work (or at home now with our current situation), or hit the gym late at night. No matter the case, if you currently workout most days, you likely know the physical and mental benefits of exercise and how it limits stress in life. But besides telling people you “just feel better” when you workout, HOW does exercise actually reduce stress? According to Harvard Medical School, “Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators. Endorphins are responsible for the ‘runner’s high’ and for the feelings of relaxation and optimism that accompany many hard workouts.” (https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax) So not only will exercise make you look better and improve your cardiovascular system, immune system, etc., but you will actually “feel better” and improve your mood and outlook on life. The issue for some people though, is taking the first step towards a daily exercise regimen. The good news is, everyone has to start somewhere and it doesn’t have to be dramatic! It isn’t necessarily the amount of exercise you do in the beginning that matters, but the CONSISTENCY at which you do it! And it is normal to be nervous about starting an exercise program. In fact, there are four normal stages of acceptance with regards to exercise:
- You hate it
- You deal with it
- You enjoy it
- You depend on it
The goal is to get you to stage 4. Once that happens, no longer will there be a question of “if” you will exercise this week, but “when”. And once you develop the habit of exercising consistently during the week, your stress levels will go down, your optimism will increase, and you will likely find yourself succeeding in more aspects of your life.
If you look at Maslow’s Hierarchy, you will notice that “health” can be found on level 2: Safety. However, I would argue that exercise can improve the efficiency and/or effectiveness of our abilities to achieve success at each level.
In Level 1, exercise can improve our physiology. It can make us better at finding food and water (or simply walking to the grocery store lol), exercise can improve our body’s oxygen consumption, and it can improve our ability to build or maintain shelter. I’ve seen some guy’s “honey-do” list, lol. You NEED to be in shape to maintain a home nowadays! Haha! A side benefit of exercise is that it will make you better at reproduction as well! Hahaha!
Exercise can improve level 2: Safety. Firstly, personal perfection. If you can improve your cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance, you put yourself in a better position to protect yourself. You also make yourself a better employee due to improved physical abilities and improvement in job performance, optimism and ability to manage stress. Can you say job security?
Exercise can also help you improve at level 3: Love and Belonging. When you improve your health and put yourself through rigorous exercise, you will be a better spouse, brother/sister, mother/father, friend, etc. You will be more patient, more understanding, and again…less stressed.
Exercise will certainly improve level 4: Esteem. Exercise builds confidence. You will feel more confident in your abilities to handle yourself. You will feel more comfortable in your skin. And you will respect yourself more because of your willingness to “gut it out” and maintain discipline, even when times got tough.
Finally, level 5: Self-actualization. This level is so difficult to achieve. Everyone must follow their own path and must find it themselves. But, in my opinion, exercise will help you get to this level faster because of all the reasons mentioned previously. Choosing to put yourself through intense exercises day in and day out, choosing discipline over short-term satisfaction, and learning how to handle physical stress on the body will make you a better (and stronger) human being. And nobody will ever achieve self-actualization with a weak mind AND a weak body. Strengthening your body will help strengthen your mind and vice versa!
If there is one thing to take away from this post, it’s this: exercise will make every aspect of your life better. I hope this post has inspired you to make a change and begin to exercise on a consistent basis. You will be less stressed! We can all use a little less stress during times like this.
Have a blessed day!
Coach Rich
Richard Fitzgerald 