Now that you have integrated steps 1 and 2, it is time to consider step 3: Get Moving!! In step one, you are determined to take charge of your life as the CEO, the one in charge, the decider. Step two invites you to consider your purpose, what you live for, what gets you out of bed in the morning, your why. Even if this changes day by day, that is fine; but you need that sense of focus pretty much all the time to stay motivated, avoid distractions, and know the difference. Now, you need to incorporate your body into dedicated, purposeful movement. Numerous authorities support the idea of moving for mental health, as well as physical health.
According to the research, subjects who reported regular exercise at the one-year follow-up had lower depression scores than did their less active counterparts. Exercise seems not only important for treating depression, but also in preventing relapse (Babyak et al., 2000, p. 634)
When I say get moving, it is easy to slip into the standard notions of joining a gym, buying exercise equipment, or signing up for a 5k. Woah Woah too much, too fast, and too complicated. Unless your goal is to run a 5k or bench press your weight, getting moving can simply mean putting on some fun music and dance while cleaning, searching Youtube for some beginning yoga videos, and learning some new poses. In the Midwest, we have reached the pinnacle of winter and the seasonal blues. The days are still short, it is cold, the snow on the ground is less novel. Since I will not be taking a walk around the block, I must find ways to move around in my house.
Little ways to increase movement every day:
- Calls on the move.
I have gotten into the habit of taking my conference calls with my BlueTooth headset and phone strapped to my arm and walk to the house circuit. I walk from one room to the next, and around and around. Unless I am working on client assessments staying hands-free and wandering around the house seems to help my focus and creativity.
2. Take two trips.
Have you ever carried every single grocery bag in from the store even though it meant cutting off the circulation in your fingers. I have. Take two trips. Use this as an opportunity to lessen your load and increase your movement.
3. Dance Dance
Time to clean the floors. Put on your favorite club music and wiggle your butt around the house. (Actual cleaning may not happen.)
4. Beat yourself.
According to the National Institutes of Health, “Continuous self-monitoring from wearable technology with real-time feedback may be particularly useful to enhance lifestyle changes that promote weight loss in sedentary overweight or obese adults. This strategy, combined with a group-based behavioral intervention, may yield optimal weight loss.”
You may have heard the Peter Drucker quote, “What gets measured gets managed,” or “What gets managed gets done.” Having a Fitbit or other wearable technology that measures your calories burned, steps are taken, or any other measure of your activity influences your subconscious and conscious mind to move more.
Movement can be freeing! You can do it in a group, or alone. The point is DO IT! and commit to a regular experience. If you are feeling down, unproductive, dealing with a lot of worry or anxiety, get up and go! Being physically active, and solutions you could not have accessed before, will show up, and you’ll feel energized to tackle the usual stuff that gets in your way. Happy Moving in 2021!
Manifest in the Midwest
References
Babyak, M., Blumenthal, J. A., Herman, S., Khatri, P., Doraiswamy, M., Moore, K., Edward Craighead, W., Baldewicz, T. T., & Ranga Krishnan, K. (2000). Exercise Treatment for Major Depression: Maintenance of Therapeutic Benefit at 10 Months. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62(5), 633–638. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-200009000-00006
