23 Jan Rock Climbing For Fun and For Strength

You’ve worked hard all week. You’ve made countless business decisions, answered plenty of questions, attended quite a few meetings, and/or taken on scores of technical challenges. After all that mental strain your soul is longing to de-stress, and your body is asking for exercise. Sounds like the perfect time to go rock climbing! Rock climbing takes you to the great outdoors and gives your body and soul a much-needed break. It also builds up physical endurance and strength. If you don’t have time to drive to a local cliff for rock climbing, or you want to start slow and easy, try bouldering at your local rock climbing gym. At Phelps LaClair, located in Scottsdale and Gilbert Arizona, our strength is providing you with excellent and knowledgeable services for all your estate planning needs. We also recognize the need for strengthening your whole being and relieving the stresses that come with making a living. That’s why we’re introducing rock climbing as an activity you might enjoy.

Building Muscle and Endurance

One of the primary physical benefits to rock climbing is that it builds upper body strength. In addition, it adds lower body strength and develops lean muscle mass. Regularly scaling walls gets your heart pumping, too, and increases your body’s endurance. And the tricky maneuvers, intricate footwork, and lengthy reaches involved in rock climbing improve your body’s flexibility.

Increase Brain Functions

Rock climbing is not just a physical sport, but it also improves overall brain function. With each route you choose in your climb, you’re exercising problem-solving skills, while also exercising your body. A climb requires attentive focus to find the best routes toward the top of the wall or cliff, and careful concentration to remain safe in the process.

Stress Relief

The strong concentration and acute problem-solving skills required as part of rock climbing actually limit distractions in your brain. The tasks waiting for you back at the office, or that decision hanging over your head, are mentally set aside once your feet and hands begin a climb. Climbers can actually enter a place of being so in tune with the activity, they successfully block pain and create a sense of euphoria. The physical exercise involved with rock climbing can also increase levels of norepinephrine in your brain and build up your body’s ability to handle stress, anxiety, and depression.

Rock climbing outdoors has the added bonus of being in nature, which has been proven to provide an increased sense of joy. But even climbing indoors can increase the “happy hormone,” norepinephrine, and improve brain function, as well as improving physical health. While Phelps LaClair knows the benefits of excellent business practices, especially in estate planning, we also know the importance of caring for our whole being and taking time to enjoy life. Contact us today for all your estate planning needs!

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (1/15/2018) Steve Wilson (Flickr)