Manage Your Stress – With a Book and a Bike
Sometimes when things get overwhelming your flight or fight response kicks in. But when you feel like you just can’t fight anymore and need to get away, try escaping with a great novel. I personally love historical fiction. Pick up Diana Gabaldon’s book Outlander, or Jennifer Donnelly’s The Tea Rose and combine it with a spin on an exercise bike. I can guarantee you will feel better after a chapter or two, spinning a few miles. Whether it is an upright, spinning or recumbent bike – fantasy, romance or biography, the book/bike combination makes for a great way to get away from it all.
When you pick up a book no matter which genre, it will take your mind off whatever is causing the stress for a short time. And exercise can actually decrease the production of stress hormones and counteract your body’s natural stress response. Regular exercise provides the opportunity to manage the fight or flight response and helps the body to return to a balanced state more quickly.
I’m off to finish the last few chapters of Lauren Willig’s The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. Another great escape!