Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

- Robert Frost

I’ve been working on incorporating physical activity into my life. I’ve noticed for a long while that I simply feel better when I exercise. And so I stumbled into what I thought was the ingenious idea of simply exercising for the lift in my mood rather than for any fitness gain.

Turns out however that these two pretty smart guys thought of it before me. I read their little 200 page book on the subject over the past two days. I was hooked like it was a fantasy novel! The name of the book is Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-being by Michael Otto and Jasper Smits. It is above and beyond your ordinary self-help exercise book. This book really is gold. Their advice is built upon personal experience, clinical work, teaching – both Ph.D.’s of psychology – and scientific research, lots and lots of scientific research.

I read it for personal knowledge and well-being, but the book is so immersed in up-to-date research that I’ve used it extensively in a project this semester. Here is one of favourite passages. The author is reflecting on the joy of moments when out exercising, referencing the above poem by Robert Frost. I was startled and delighted to hear my own experiences in his words. Excellent book for anyone needing a mood lift or struggling with depression or anxiety.

“… exercise gives you a chance to enjoy sensations for sensation’s sake. The feel of a breeze against your skin while running deserves to be noticed and enjoyed mindfully. Likewise, the feel of water on your body and the sounds of your breathing deserve mindful attention while swimming. Outdoor activities put you in closer contact with the environment and the seasons that you might otherwise be: the feel of light rain, the shift in scents as autumn comes, the difference between your cold face and warm body in winter, and the first springtime experience that nature’s first green really is gold.”

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