charlesatlas.com

Talk to a neighbor, give them a compliment. Talk to a friend and talk about fun times you have had together. Talk to a family member and reminisce on some of your amazing times. Laugh.

Need some Monday Motivation to exercise? After you stand up stretch up to the sky and take a few deep breaths. Do this whenever you can throughout the day. How about cleaning a room or organizing a space. Anything will help. Moving is so important.

How to stay motivated at home and have a better mental attitude? Smile even if you have to fake a smile. It will help you and those around you, if you are around others at this time.

I read a lot these days about how peoples' mental health is being effected by the pandemic. As a retired psychologist who has presented stress management workshops, among others, an established principle of coping with stress begins with understanding that change -- any change, good or bad -- creates stress that effects our bodies... and can seriously affect our health. These days most of us have had our daily routines changed -- some of us have lost jobs, others are now working from home, others have children out of school trying to learn at home, where and when we can go has been altered for many of us. These all are changes and they cause us stress. It's important to realize that exercising can 1) keep us fit and flexible, 2) promote caring for our bodies by eating healthy foods, and 3) provide us with a way to structure our new schedules. As we all know, the Atlas program can be done nearly anywhere at nearly anytime. DT can be done as a daily workout or as a series of mini-workouts with just a few exercises done throughout the day thereby breaking up boredom and sitting around. The apparent restrictions of the pandemic is a kind of gift, offering us the incentive and opportunity to sit down and draw up -- actually write down -- a new exercise routine based on more variety with the addition of new exercises we haven't tried for a while. We can take a bit of control over our lives by recommitting ourselves to our Atlas exercises. This will not only bring us the physical benefits we've all experienced but will also help us be strong and positive and contribute to others we meet on this new and different path in our lives. Be safe and well and strong! Jim