Move.

If we’re not moving on a regular basis, are we truly living? Movement helps us circulate water, blood, nutrients, and oxygen throughout our body, and helps pump fluids and waste out. Also helps increase our energy levels and contributes to better quality sleep. Although cliche, the saying “use it or lose it” is very true when it comes to physical activity. Without a regular movement practice our bodies can experience atrophy, stiffness, and pain as we age. Recent studies show that the depletion of leg strength in older people has links to early mortality. But, movement can also contribute to aging slower. Some studies suggest that regular physical activity may influence biological markers of aging, such as telomere length, which is associated with cellular aging. Without movement we create a poor environment for our muscles, organs, tissues, and cells to live in, and as a result limit their ability to function optimally. Movement looks different for everyone and should be tailored to your specific goals and stress levels. For some people daily walks are enough, but obviously if you’re a collegiate or professional athlete your movement practice is going to be more intense. At any rate it’s important to find a movement practice that you can sustain.

Movement also contributes to our mental and emotional health, as it has direct connections to mood and focus. Dr. Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University, has found that doing challenging physical exercise (preferably in the morning) adjusts your autonomic nervous system so that anything that may stress you out afterwards has less of an impact. By this he is referring to the benefits our body’s get from good stress that comes out of rigorous physical activity. Although, similar to food, too little is just as bad as too much. Where a good amount of rigorous exercise can reduce stress, over doing it can have adverse effects which is why it’s so important to find balance.

A big part of movement that I think gets overlooked is knowing the difference between “working in” and “working out”. I think a lot of us (myself included) have trouble listening to our bodies when they’re being over worked. When your energy levels are high, it’s good to workout and push yourself, but we have to consider that going overboard can lead to burnout and injury. When your energy levels are low and your body needs a break but you still want to move consider “working in”. This could be yoga, stretching, swimming, riding the bike, going on a walk, or even walking backwards. Also consider that movement doesn’t always have to be a formal thing. Finding activities that feel like you're just playing around could help remove any possible resistance parts of you have to moving your body. There is no magic formula, just consider listening to your body everyday and offer it what it needs.

If you have anymore questions or want to map out the ideal movement plan for you, you are invited to schedule an appointment to see if I can be of assistance.