In this interview, Dr. Chuck talks with Dr. Susan Smith Jones discuss how simple daily exercises can improve your health and reduce stress.
Exercising and Stress Reduction with Dr. Susan Smith Jones
Dr. Chuck: Welcome to Spoonful of Courage, I’m Doctor Chuck, the best guy to see on the worst day of your life, and I’m here with Susan Smith Jones now. She is a holistic expert and we’re talking about her new book, Uplifted, and I just kind of want to bring out the question. You know, Susan, so many people in our culture today are just stressed out. I mean, they’re just stressed to the max. What is your take and what are your thoughts about why people are so stressed? And how do we begin to see life from a more holistic viewpoint?
Dr. Susan: Well, that’s great questions, and everyone I know is more stressed out than they ever have been, and what causes other people’s stress maybe doesn’t cause me stress. It could be weather related, deadlines, commitments, fights with family members, the price of gasoline, inflation, rising crime in cities. So, it could be different for everyone. But when you don’t manage your stress well, so many things happen in your body. It increases blood pressure, it makes it more difficult to sleep, causes constipation, suppresses your immunity, causes aches and pains, it reduces the effectiveness of your cardiovascular system, so many things. So there are many ways you can handle stress. One of the best ways we’ve talked about is to make sure you get enough sleep at night and keep your body hydrated. Another is make sure you exercise on a regular basis religiously, and that doesn’t mean just on Easter and Christmas.
Dr. Chuck: So let’s back up. For the person who’s just trying to begin an exercise program.
Dr. Susan: Yes.
Dr. Chuck: What do you recommend?
Dr. Susan: Well, walking is one of the most underrated of all activities. My grandmother Fritzy used to say to me, “walk your dog every day, whether you have a dog or not.” And Henry David Thoreau said, “an early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” And there was a wonderful study done at USC, close to where I am, and they took a group of stressed and anxious people. Of course, none of your audience would qualify, because your whole audience is chill.
Dr. Chuck: Yeah, we’ve got it all under control here.
Dr. Susan: But they took this big group and divided them into two. They had one group walk around the track, a flat track, for 15 minutes, getting their heart rates to at least a 100 beats per minute. So it wasn’t like jogging or running, it was almost like a stroll, and then they tested the body with EMG, electromyography, to see the amount of tension in the muscles. The second group did no exercise, but they were given a tranquilizer, and they discovered that the group that actually did the aerobic workout, their tension in their body, was 20% decreased after 15 minutes, much better than the group given a tranquilizer.
Dr. Chuck: It’s the natural endorphines of the body were being released.
Dr. Susan: Yes, and now I was just going to say, there was another study done in the UK by Doctor Malcolm Carruthers with 400 people, and he discovered that 10 minutes of an aerobic activity doubles the level of the happy hormones, those endorphines, in your body, that give you a wonderful, happy feeling. And, that is one of the reasons I make sure, unless something comes up, that I get the work out done in the morning, because I want the blessing, like Henry David Thoreau said, of that work out all day long. It makes you a happier person, it makes you more creative, and it puts confidence under your wings. It gives your skin a healthy glow, it helps you get the weight off. So, but with your exercise, you want to do some aerobic and some strength training, a little weight training, two or three times a week. But you also have to do flexibility exercises, like stretching, something like yoga, something that will help you, because doing aerobic and strength training, while they’re great for you, they tighten you, firm you. want, and I think, Doctor Chuck, you are as young as you are flexible.
Dr. Chuck: Interesting observation. If you ever go to a nursing home, Doctor Susan, you’ll notice that everybody is drawn up, people nursing homes, and you know I think flexibility is one of the things we don’t think about very often, but just the significance of of stretching every day as you get older, you see people and they begin to scrunch up and everything.
Dr. Susan: I know, I know.
Dr. Chuck: You know, I think for longevity purposes that’s one of the best things that you can do. So, aerobic, little bit of strength, and a little bit of stretching 10 minutes a day goes a long way. And I’ll tell you something, you know, Doctor Susan, maybe it’s too much information, but my pool is filled with algae, and I haven’t been able to swim for the past three weeks and it’s been driving me nuts. I mean I’ve noticed the difference of just 10 minutes of not being out there swimming, and so now I’ve decided I’m just going to swim in the green gunk anyway. I feel so much better just getting out there and swimming, and so I want to encourage people to take that first step.
Dr. Susan: Maybe part of your exercise is cleaning out the algae.
Dr. Chuck: Doctor Susan, now you’re meddling because you sound like my wife. So, we’re going to stop on that spoonful of courage, and we’re here with Doctor Susan Smith Jones. You can find so much information on her website susansmithjones,com. She’s got videos, she’s got audio, she’s got all kinds of stuff that are going to help you see the big picture of life, and so this is one of several interviews that we have. Susan, it’s really been an honor to have you on the show.
Dr. Susan: Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to our next visit.
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