Activating movement for a healthier body, mind

Some adults may be less willing to engage in physical activity, but children are naturally more energetic. A study from Frontiers in Physiology even found that children have higher energy levels than trained endurance athletes.

Screen time and declining physical education programs in school are partially to blame, but Hampshire Wellness Center Director Trina Cox said limiting devices and encouraging kids to participate in activities can help. 

“I understand not every kid is an athlete or going to be that, but (you could) bring them swimming,” Cox suggested.

Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Center offers many programs for kids and adults to stay active all year round, including a free monthly pool day.

The next two free pool days are Jan. 27 and Feb. 20 from 1 to 7 p.m.

The wellness center also schedules “open swim” time, where people can catch a swim for $5, and the chaperone must stay with the children they brought. Parents can’t simply drop off their kids and leave. Schedules are available at the gym and on their website at www.valleyhealthlink.com/wellness-fitness/fitness-centers/hampshire-wellness-fitness-center-romney/ and by looking at the current pool schedule.

The center also offers their pool for birthday parties or other events.

Additionally, the center is a host site for Girls on the Run, which starts next month. The separate program connects school-aged girls to volunteer coaches who blend life lessons, training and other physical activities. At the end of the program, the volunteer and the schoolgirl complete in a 5k run together. Slanesville and Romney Elementary School are current participants in the program.

The gym offers its paying members many programs that are designed to meet the specialized health need of each individual.

Teens in Training is a program that focuses on fitness education, weight training and high-intensity sports conditioning for teens aged 10 to 17.

Cox mentioned that Hampshire High School’s girl soccer team went to the gym for group training during the month of December to keep themselves active since they did not participate in a winter sport.

“Now, through fundraisers, (the team) is paying for individualized membership for those girls,” she said.

Cox had noticed the dramatic difference from when the girls first joined to where they are now physically.

The gym offers many other programs, and membership can be unaffordable to some families, but Cox notes that there are scholarships and funding available for those who need help. Investment in a gym membership can pay off in the long run.

Heidi Fields, a licensed counselor and founding director of Mountaineer Mental Health, said that exercise causes a change in the brain chemistry – the “feel good” hormones targeted by many mental health treatment medications.

“It is great for decreasing stress, anger and frustration – blowing off steam– physical activity can literally and figuratively release the pressure valve for worries and frustrations we tend to bottle up,” Field said.

Fields added that low self-esteem or self-confidence often exists hand-in-hand with many mental health conditions people experience.

“Physical activity can improve how one looks and feels, which improves self-esteem and confidence, often having a self-reciprocating effect on attitude and motivation to pursue and engage in other treatment interventions.”

Fields shared that physical activity is one of the coping techniques the clinic often recommends for people struggling with anger, anxiety, ADHD, depression, PTSD, substance use disorders and other conditions.

Being physically fit can always be free; it just warrants a willingness to be creative and step out of one’s comfort zone. The weather conditions are less than ideal, but bundling up and going for a short daily walk can remind people of the beauty of the changing seasons, perhaps even challenging the dismal view of the Mountain State’s mental health.

“Outdoor physical activity provides additional benefits for mental health as often people feel overwhelmed and ‘stuck’ with life challenges, but moving, anywhere, but especially outside supports seeing the bigger picture and ourselves as part of a world that is bigger than the issues we may be facing,” Fields said.