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Exercise Deficiency Syndrome

I've found myself frequently depressed over the past several weeks. It helped to think of it as my brain being depressed and that everyone gets sad sometimes and it passes. Thinking this way helped me start looking for causes and solutions.

I haven't been dancing as much over the past few months: it's too discouraging when there are two or three followers for every lead. So much for Denver being "Menver," a term used by men who evidently look for women under the seat cushions. (Maybe I exaggerate, but Denver County is half women according to the last census and we leave the house a lot more according to my observations.)

I've decided to quit being like the proverbial drunk who looks for his keys under a street light just because he can see there. I'm giving up dancing to resume martial arts because I need the physical exertion. (You didn't think it was to meet men, did you?)

I noticed going to a difficult yoga class (with a bunch of women) improved my mood for days. In my early 20s, I didn't know why I kept going to taekwondo, but now I know that it probably did the same thing for me. And the school just felt right. Twenty years on, I still consider how the founder of my old school (Master Sang Lee) would act in circumstances I find myself in. Since I'm too far away from my old school, I'm going to visit a traditional martial arts school this week and hope that I find a new home away from home there.

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tess said…
the right group makes ALL the difference -- good luck in finding it!
January 16, 2014
Lowcarb team member said…
Winter is often the season when we can all feel a little down. I find walking helps, some prefer swimming. Whatever suits you and lifts your mood is the best solution. It is so easy to sit back and do nothing - that is not the answer.

Looking forward to hearing how the traditional martial arts school goes.

All the best Jan
January 16, 2014
Lori Miller said…
Thanks. I met some great people dancing, but there's an element there that's a snooty as any Gilded Age plutocrat and comes up with a thousand excuses for their rudeness. OTOH, the school I called has a page on their website devoted to good manners.
January 16, 2014
Lori Miller said…
Doing too much of nothing really is depressing, and meditating doesn't suit me. I'm more of a physical person.
January 16, 2014
Galina L. said…
Probably, I am addicted to the excitement which is caused by exercising, especially dancing. For my dancing fix I go to a Zumba class in a sport club. Breaking more sweat makes the mood-uplifting effect even stronger. Actually, I do many pleasant things which could be called exercising, but I do it because my life is happier this way. At least it is not a chemical substance, but I had some sport injuries to treat and one foot surgery.
January 16, 2014
Lori Miller said…
I can do the charleston well enough by myself, but it's not as much fun or as physically and mentally demanding as lindy.
January 16, 2014
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