The relationship between good health and more leisure may not be readily apparent, but this too can be explained in one word: stress.  When we are in good health, our body is better able to handle both physical and mental stress.  And when we reduce our amount of stress, we are better able to enjoy the fun things in life. 

When we are anxious and worried, everything is chore.  Even when we have some free time, we don’t enjoy it as much because we are always on edge.

Avoiding stress completely is impossible.  In fact, a little is actually good for us, but most of us are subjected to way too much.  Exercise is one of the best ways to combat stress — many times you can actually feel the stress diminishing while you work out.