How has exercise changed you?

So, the other morning I was sitting in the office of the director of my graduate program, fleshing out how exactly I was going to graduate and get the hell out of there before it's time for me to retire and I become the oldest graduate ever at New Mexico Highlands University.

I dragged out my internship far beyond the time in which I had met all the hours' required of me, but now it was time to go. If I don't graduate soon, I'll have to start retaking classes. Aieee!

My paper, which I'm currently writing and actually made an enormous headway on today (with the help of espresso and the background noise of what appeared to be an all day RENO 911 marathon) is on how exercise improves mental health, particularly depression and anxiety. Much of it will be supported with research findings, published case studies, et cetera.

However, in the last section of this paper, I'm given some lattitude in expression personal feelings. I would like to be able to include personal feelings of others about how training and working out has changed their emotional state.

SO, I have questions that I need answers to. The ideal person to respond to this would be the following:

1. You've started (or returned to) training and working out. In other words, it hasn't been your lifelong interest and lifestyle.

2. You have made some observation that working out, training, and exercise improved your anxiety and/or depressed feelings. In addressing this, you can answer the following: What is different now? What are you doing now that you aren't depressed, or anxious, that is different from when you were depressed or anxious?

In addition, I would like to know

1. How did you become involved in the fitness lifestyle? Did you decide on your own or were you partners with someone else who was in it?

2. How has this positively impacted your life?

3. What difficulties do you face in following through with exercise plans?

4. Has exercise made feelings of depression or anxiety worse?

5. How has this negatively impacted your life?

If I use your comments, you'll be referred to "JaneDoe1," and JohnDoe7" and so on,

and,

if you send me your answers, I'll take that as your willingness to participate.

If interested, email me with your observations and comments.

And thanks!

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