Encouraging feedback was received and shows increasing numbers of Force staff experiencing the benefits of various relaxation methods and sending in their valuable suggestions.

Don't hesitate to send us yours too! We look forward to giving you our little memo clip as a souvenir. Our address is: PSG, 7/F Tai Sang Commercial Bldg, 24-34 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai; Email: pcp-4-psg@police.gov.hk.

Now let's continue with the fourth instalment of Healthy Ways of Relaxation as suggested by our Police Clinical Psychologists. Regular exercise relaxes the body and mind.

We all know exercise is beneficial to our physical health. Exercise strengthens our cardiovascular system, helps to maintain normal blood pressure and body weight. Apart from physical benefits, exercise reduces the negative impact of stress on us effectively bringing many psychological benefits. To understand the magic, let's take a look at the physiological and psychological effects of exercise.

Physiological perspective
When facing stress, our automatic nervous system will be activated to produce physiological reactions such as increased heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension, to prepare our body for action to meet the challenge of the stress.

However, if no action is taken, prolonged continuation of these physiological arousals can produce negative consequences like muscle strain, exhaustion and physical illnesses including ulcers and cardiovascular problems. Exercise helps to release the energy created by the physiological arousals and therefore reduces negative physical effects.

During vigorous exercise, our body produces higher levels of endorphins, morphine-like chemical substances.

It is believed endorphins are natural painkillers in our brain that make us happy and relieved.

Psychological perspective
Exercise provides a temporary respite from stress. We can free our mind of the unpleasant events and enjoy ourselves during exercise. Exercise gives us a sense of control over our bodies, thus reducing feelings of going crazy or losing control when we are under stress.

Exercise provides a legitimate opportunity for us to express our negative feelings which are suppressed in our daily living. These include anger, frustration and irritability.

Joining family and friends in exercises gives us even more fun, helps maintain regular contact with others and strengthens our social support system which is crucial in coping with stress.

Exercise has numerous benefits which cannot be achieved in the short term. We must maintain regular exercise in order to enjoy its benefits.

We can choose one or two types of exercises, according to our personal physical condition and interest, for our own exercise programme.

A standard exercise programme would involve about three sessions of exercises in a week, each lasting for at least 20 minutes.

If you can follow this standard in your own exercise programme, you would eventually achieve a healthy mind and body.