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that it has sorne value (physical,
mental, or spiritual) for you. (5) You
believe that if you persist at it you
wi ll improve, but this is completely
subject ive- you need to be the only
one who measures that improve–
ment. (6) The activity must have the
quality tha t you can do it without
criticizing yourself. If you can' t ac–
cept yourself during this time the
activi ty wi ll not be addicting. This is
why it is so important that the activ–
ity can be done alone. Any time you
introduce other people you chance
introducing competition or criticism,
often both" (
Positive Addiction,
p.
93).
Whi le the most ·popular way of
getting posi tively addicted seems to
be running or jogging, sorne people
have achieved this state through
such diverse activities as swinging a
baseball bat, singing, or listening to
music.
lnterrelated System
Reaching a sta te of positive ad–
diction through exercising the body
is not really all that unbelievable.
The mind and the body are one and
the same interrelated sys tem. As
George Leonard writes in his book
The Ultimate Athlete:
" It is only
through a heresy in Western
thought that we could consider any
aspect of life as 'nonphysical.' The
body is a lways involved, even in
what we call the most cerebral pur–
suit. Einstein tells us that the Special
or Res tricted Theory of Relativi ty
carne from a fee ling in his muscles"
(p.
189).
The twin scourges of boredom
and chronic depression can also be
alleviated by a regular exercise pro–
gram. Dr. Kenneth Cooper states
that "in their domestic lives, women
often become the victims of routine.
Many of them lack the challenges
that meo face in their work....
Aerobics has proved to be a turning
point in the lives of many such
women. Getting on the program
ma rks for them the point of a new
departure. They shed boredom and
become a lert and responsive again.
The vita lity women gain from up–
grading their fitness sometimes
opens the door to many other inter–
es ts, giving their whole existence
new meaning"
(The New Aerobics,
p.
143).
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1978
Such a form of positive addiction
has other beneficia! side etfects. Mi–
nor aches and pa ins and irritating
conditions a re often improved once
the body is in a really vibrant,
healthy, dynamic (not just un-sick)
condition. And flabby muscles can
lead to more than just being unable
to open jar lids without h elp.
George Leonard writes that: "More
than 6 million people in the United
States are treated for sorne sort of
backache every d ay, a nd back
trouble is the greatest single d rain
on industrial compensation fu nds;
estimates of the cost to the nation
run up to $10 billion a year. Yet, the
great majority of back problems are
caused simply by flabby muscles, es–
pecially those of the a bdomen
wh ich are needed to hold the pelvis
straight and thus reduce strain on
the muscles of the lower back. A
balanced physical-activity program,
taking only a few hours a week,
would doubtless eliminate most
back ailments. Sufferers turn instead
to drugs, heating pads, aod doctors'
appointments"
(The Ultimate Ath–
lete,
p.
154).
But what if you're one of Dr.
Cooper's victims of domestic routine
(or office fatigue), yet don't feel
comfortable and safe trotting up
and down the streets of your neigh–
borhood? Wha t if dogs and smart–
aleck kids and staring motorists a ll
but imprison you inside your four
walls? For you, Cooper's book in–
eludes a variety of indoor aerobic
exercises such as stationary running,
skipping rope, climbing sta irs, sta–
tiona ry cycling, and running on
treadmills. (The word "aerobic" was
coined by Dr. Cooper and means
exercise that improves the condition
of the heart, lungs, and blood ves–
seis. Most conventional forms of ex–
ercise such as games like volleyball,
calisthenics, gardening and even
housework do not stimulate the
body long enough or s t eadily
enough to produce beneficia!
cha nges in circula tion and oxygen
usage. And even exercises like walk–
ing and jogging must be done very
regularly to achieve the desired car–
diovascular fitness.)
Last July
The Plain Truth
ran an
article by Harry Sneider, executive
fitness director a t Ambassador Col–
lege, outlining the many benefits of
regular exercise. The article a lso
contained caut ions on beginning a
program, such as checking with
your personal physician before be–
ginning a regimen.
The New Aero–
bics
a lso carries the same warning,
including the fact that you should
progress slowly, exercise only within
your tolerance, warm up properly
and cool down slowly afterwards.
And strenuously exercising only on
weekends can be more harmful than
no exercise at all. It should be
done a t least four times a week.
A Posltlve "Fix"
Many if not most of us are addicted
to one th in g or anothe r , eve n
though we may not recognize it.
Human beings just seem to opera te
that way. Even people who aren't
dependent on any chemical may be–
come addicted to certain emotions,
such as the "high" associated with a
!ove atrair. They may pursue con–
quest after conquest in order to get
their regular emotiona l "fix." (Just
as chemicals in the brain can atrect
emotion, certain emotions can cause
various chemicals to be produced.
Anger st imula ting adrenalin pro–
duction is a common example of
this process.)
So as long as we're going to be
addicts, we may as well opt to be the
positive variety. As Glasser men–
tions in his book, people who are
positively addicted are stronger
emotiona lly and better able to cope
with whatever curves life throws
them. They're able to wait out crises
and withs tand pain to a much
greater degree than those without
such regular habits.
You may have to search and ex–
periment to find out exactly which
"positive addiction" fits your own
particular needs and lifestyle, but
the search is well worth it in terms
o
f
h
ea
1
t
h
a n
d
me n
t
a
1
s a
t
i
s–
faction.
o
ADDITIONAL READING
The New Aerobics
by Kenneth H. Coop–
er, Bantam Books, 1976.
Aerobics for Women
by Mildred Cooper
and Kenneth H. Cooper, Bantam
Books,
1977.
Positiva Addictíon
by William Glasser.
Harper and Row, 1976.
The Dilemma of Drugs
(Available from
us free of charge. See inside front cover
for address nearest you.)
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