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 FITNESS FITNESS 

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HEALTHY LIVINGHEALTHY LIVING

Mountain View News Saturday, August 30, 2025

UNLOCK YOUR LIFE


FITNESS AS A LIFELINE


Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness 

professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit.
com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 
Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness.

VALUED PARTNER OR ELF ON THE SHELF? 
Stop Making Your Contribution Invisible.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Suicide 
is the second leading cause of death for people ages 
10–34 in the U.S. That fact alone shows how serious the 
issue is. Suicide actually affects people of all ages, genders, 
and backgrounds. Almost everyone has either struggled 
themselves or knows someone who has.

While suicide is a complicated issue, one powerful tool that 
often gets overlooked is exercise. Movement can literally 
help save lives. That doesn’t mean a few push-ups will magically 
erase pain or replace professional help, but exercise 
can be a lifeline. A way to cope, connect, and find hope 
when things feel overwhelming.

Exercise changes the brain in ways that protect mental 
health. When you move your body, your brain releases endorphins 
(feel-good chemicals that act like natural painkillers) 
and serotonin (a neurotransmitter that helps regulate 
mood). People dealing with depression, which is one of 
the strongest risk factors for suicide, often have lower levels of serotonin. By moving, even a 
little, we give the brain a boost that medicine alone can’t always provide.

But the impact isn’t just chemical. Exercise creates a sense of control at a time when someone 
may feel like life is spinning out of control. A 20-minute walk may sound small, but for someone 
fighting hopelessness, that walk can feel like a victory — proof they’re still in the fight.

Another major risk factor for suicide is social isolation. People who feel cut off from others are 
more at risk. Here’s where fitness plays a huge role. Exercise often creates connection. Think 
about a walking group, a pickleball game, or even a yoga class. You don’t have to talk about 
your struggles directly, but just showing up, being seen, and moving with others builds a sense 
of belonging.

That sense of belonging is more powerful than most of us realize. Human beings are wired 
for connection. Exercise can be the bridge that brings people together when words are hard 
to find.

Several studies have shown that people who exercise regularly have lower rates of depression 
and suicidal thoughts. One large study from Harvard found that just 15 minutes of running 
or an hour of walking each day can cut the risk of major depression by 26%. While exercise 
alone is not a “cure,” it’s a protective factor. Something that helps shield people from sliding 
deeper into despair.

Another study followed teenagers and found that those involved in sports were less likely 
to attempt suicide compared to their non-active peers. The reason wasn’t just fitness. It was 
teamwork, friendship, and the sense of purpose that came from showing up for others.

One of the biggest barriers for someone struggling with suicidal thoughts is that even simple 
tasks feel overwhelming. Telling someone in deep pain to “just go exercise” can sound harsh 
or unrealistic. The key is starting with manageable steps that feel like real accomplishments.

If you know someone who’s having a tough time, inviting them to move with you can be a 
gentle, non-threatening way to reach out. You don’t need to have the perfect words. Just say:

• “Want to go for a short walk with me?”

• “Let’s throw the ball around for a bit.”

• “How about a bike ride to clear our heads?”

These small actions create forward motion. Each step provides a sense of control, a moment 
of relief, and a reminder that the body — and life — are still moving. Plus, the act of moving 
together can open the door to deeper conversations or simply provide quiet company, which 
can be just as healing.

Sometimes the best step is moving while talking — a walk-and-talk with a counselor, a friend, 
or a loved one combines physical movement with emotional support.

Exercise is not a replacement for professional help. Therapy, medication, and crisis support 
lines are often necessary and lifesaving. But fitness adds another layer of protection. It can 
lower risk, reduce isolation, and remind people that they still have strength inside of them.

If you are struggling, please know this: you are not alone. Reaching out for help is not weakness. 
It’s courage. And if you know someone who is in distress, remember that even small 
invitations to move together can make a difference.

This Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, let’s expand the conversation. Along with raising 
awareness, let’s share tools of hope. Exercise may not solve everything, but it offers a path 
forward. One step, one breath, one movement at a time.

If you or someone you know is hurting with thoughts of suicide, call 988 or text 741741 in the 
U.S. to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24/7.

Have you ever felt like the Elf on the Shelf, always there, always 
doing the behind-the-scenes work, but somehow... unseen? That 
quiet labor might seem small to some, yet it’s what holds households, 
workplaces, and communities together.

Sociologists have named it invisible labor, the endless mental 
and emotional bookkeeping: coordinating schedules, anticipating 
needs, and smoothing over conflicts before anyone notices. It’s 
planning the holiday menu, stocking the fridge, and replacing toilet paper and lightbulbs 
before anyone misses them.

This invisible work often lands disproportionately on women—even when both partners 
work full-time. Researchers at the University of Bath found that mothers handle about 
71% of all household mental‑load tasks, while fathers manage far fewer. That’s not just a 
gap, it’s a chasm. (Another survey reported that 63% of women said they do more than 
their fair share of household labor, compared with just 22% of men. Studies of weekly 
chores show that women spend 50% more time on housework than men. In Australia, for 
instance, women average 18.4 hours a week, compared to 12.8 for men, and that inequality 
comes with resentment and stress. The consequences reach far beyond cluttered schedules. 
Harvard Business School’s report The Caring Company warns that if employers continue 
overlooking caregiving and unseen labor, they'll risk losing talented women who simply 
can't sustain the burden.

Closer to home, I witnessed something striking at a neighborhood meeting. A fellow resident 
quietly handled everything—from printing agendas to setting out chairs—but as the 
meeting ended, only the speaker received thanks. The unseen work wrapped the evening 
together, yet the worker remained invisible.

Why does recognition matter? Because when labor goes unspoken, it’s easy to assume it 
just... happens. And when it “happens” without acknowledgment, it erases both the task 
and the provider.

So, how do we shift that dynamic? First, and this is simple but powerful, name it. Tonight, 
jot down three invisible tasks you handled today. Then say one of them out loud. "Yes, I 
handled the school signup, scheduled my dad’s check-up, and scheduled the dog grooming." 
Until it's spoken, it's invisible.

Second, share the mental load. Equitable partnerships mean dividing not just action, but 
planning and anticipating, even the nitty-gritty calendar logistics. Rotate responsibility. 
Let others own the thinking, not just the doing.

Third, value care as essential, not optional. We honor financial contributions; let's honor 
connection and consistency with equal respect. A family or workplace runs on money and 
care. Both matter.

Finally, stop doing things you don't want to do.

So here’s your invitation: try the Visibility Practice this week. Each evening, write down 
three invisible tasks you did. Share one with your partner, someone close, or at work. Notice 
what happens when your contribution is seen. Next, pause and notice there are tasks 
that your partner did that you can appreciate. Check in with yourself mentally, don’t fall 
into a trap of complaining. Notice what’s there and build upon it. This is the perfect position 
to ask for help and a true partnership.

Because invisibility isn’t humility: it’s erasure. And our communities need us to be visible, 
not silent. Let's step off the shelf and step into the light.

Lori A. Harris is an award-winning transformational coach and podcast host. Learn more at loriaharris.
com

Lori A. Harris

JOHN WHEELER’S SPIRITUAL POINTERS 

 John was deeply influenced by Bob Adamson, a direct student 
of Nisargadatta Maharaj who taught the "direct path" of self-
knowledge through clear pointers rather than progressive spiritual 
practices.

"You are the light of consciousness. You are already free, already 
whole, already complete. Nothing needs to be added or taken away."

"Awakening is the recognition of your true nature as timeless, presence-
awareness—ever whole, ever complete."

“Your essence is pure non conceptual awareness, being or 'no thing ness' in which consciousness 
and all subsequent appearances come and go.”

“Under no circumstance do you leave your real nature. Ultimately, nothing needs to be 
explained because duality never really happened… All apparent problems stem from the 
apparent non recognition of present awareness.”

"Freedom is not something to be gained. It is the seeing that you have never been bound."

"The search ends when you see that the seeker is part of the illusion."

"The truth is simple: you are the awareness in which everything appears. This awareness is 
not a thing—it is what you are."

John Wheeler’s books below & he has many talks on youtube!

“Awakening to the Natural State”

“Right Here, Right Now”

“You Were Never Born”

John Wheeler’s Core Teaching Style

Simplicity & Directness: Wheeler emphasizes a clean break from spiritual seeking. His approach 
is straight to the point—you are already the Self, and there's nothing to fix, attain, 
or purify.

No Practices, No Waiting: He discourages meditation, effort, or trying to “become” awakened. 
Instead, he says realization is immediate when you see the false as false (mainly the 
belief in the separate “I”).

Pragmatic Focus: Wheeler’s style is geared for modern Western seekers—no cultural or 
religious overlays, just direct self-inquiry and pointers to the ever-present awareness.

Beyond Words: Language is merely a pointer; the real recognition is non-verbal, intuitive, 
immediate.

He urges not getting entangled with spiritual terminology, but simply recognizing what 
you already are.

ALL THINGS by Jeff Brown


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com