With the economy in the toilet, many people are rethinking the case for economic investments. What we used to know as “safe” investments seems no more as we see banks failing and stocks plummeting. Many people aren’t even in the position to make an economic investment as unemployment rates skyrocket. So with all of this economic turmoil, we found ourselves in a unique situations where we may reconsider where we allocate our investments. Many people have reported trading expensive luxury items such as SUVs, boats, and RVs, for family time, or time with friends. Others have also reported spending more time outside, exercising more, and enjoying nature more. These things are what we call “emotional investments” as they result in positive feelings, just as an economic investment is purported to result in a positive cash flow. Just as a stock may pay dividends, these economic investments do as well, as the more we do these things, the more likely we are to continue doing other things in our lives that result in positive feelings. It is no wonder that during times of economic crisis, the amount of people running has risen. For example, the Trans-America race, a 64-day stage race from Los Angeles to New York City began in 1929, during the Great Depression. Additionally, in the months following 9/11, the amount of people joining running clubs and events rose significantly.

So with the current economic downturn, what a better time to join a fitness camp? Fitness camps are a wonderful way make an emotional investment in ourselves. They begin with a supportive environment that accepts the person as they are. Everyone from morbidly obese to experienced athletes are treated the same. What this means is that each person is given the same prescription: empowerment.

The way that fitness camps offer this empowerment? They start with a thorough fitness assessment of the person. By measuring the person’s body fat, fitness age, and VO2 max (or cardiovascular capacity), they can develop an exercise program that matches the person exactly where they are. This way, they are not over-faced or intimidated by the exercise. When a person is appropriately matched to the exercise program by the fitness camp, not only are they much less likely to quit, but also, the exercise becomes much more enjoyable.

This is another way that fitness camps offer empowerment. By using games, outdoor activities, and customized programs, they show the person that exercise can be something they look forward to, as oppose to wanting to avoid it. In this way, the fitness camp gives the person a tool to bring empowerment into their life in a very effective way. Whether it is throwing a football, scoring a goal in soccer, or biking further than they though possible, the fitness camp experience shows a person another side of herself that is strong, resilient and positive.

The more this strong resilient person emerges, the greater the sense of identity as an athletic person becomes. As the fitness camp helps reveal this to the person, she begins to act more like an athletic person. The tendencies to overeat, or eat incorrectly dissolve, the feelings of intimidation about exercise lessen, and the desire to quit early evaporates. The longer the person stays at the fitness camp, the more she feels like an athletic person.

Not only does a fitness camp help a person identify as an athletic person, but also become as educated as an athletic person would be. By incorporating informational lectures on nutrition, physiology, exercise programming, and injury prevention, the fitness camp experiences leaves the person with a very comprehensive understanding of how weight loss actually works. The more a person understands this, the more empowered she feels.

Part of this empowerment is also related to the neurological response that is created by exercise. Each time the fitness camp puts a person through a workout or run, the levels of serotonin (the feel good neurochemical) rise and epinephrine (the fight or flight neurochemical) fall, leading to a calm, yet energized state. Along with this, levels of dopamine, the neurochemical that regulates sleeping and waking cycles becomes balanced. This is evidenced by the many anecdotal reports of better sleep with exercise.

Over time this all adds up to a person who has just earned a significant dividend on her emotional investment. This dividend comes in the form of understanding how to effectively develop an exercise program, feeling and identifying more like an athletic person, and having the knowledge of an athletic person. In today’s economic times, that is an investment worth making! To learn more about making an emotional investment see http://liveinfitness.com