014 - Movement for Mood and Mind: Micro Wins

Hello greetings and good day. Welcome back to Resilience for Real, the podcast where we break down life's big challenges and cover the tools you need to level up and share some practical known nonsense strategies to help you thrive. I'm your host Dr. Del Nidu, a psychologist, coach, a comfy pillow fanatic and a sometimes dopey daydreamer. Get ready to dive deep into mental health, personal growth and maybe even a dad joke or two. Let's build resilience together, no BS, just real talk and real life tools for real life change. So grab yourself a beverage, your notebook or perhaps settle into your coziest spot and let's explore today's episode. So today I wanted to talk about movement and I know that this is ironic, considered considering how much or rather how little I get as exercise into my day but I think we all should aim for some movement and not meaning training for a marathon, although one of the listeners who has contacted me is a marathon runner. I'm talking about the rest of the listeners who perhaps don't train for marathon. So no punishing workouts, just an approachable, doable statement of "I can actually fit this in", movement that boosts your mood and supports your brain. And if you've ever thought "I don't have time to exercise" then this one's for you. Let's take a listen. In the first part of the podcast I'd like to talk about why movement matters for mental health and let's ground this in both wisdom and evidence. Cicero said it best when he said that it is exercise alone that supports the spirits and keeps the body in health. Now centuries later modern research is catching up with what people have felt in their bodies since forever. Here's what happens when you move. Firstly, the body chemistry resets. So physical activity can spark the release of endorphins which is your body's natural feel good chemical, as well as endocannabinoids and other neurotransmitters that are tied to pleasure, calm and reduced pain perception. That's why even a short walk can change your emotional weather. Secondly, stress regulation. So movement can help regulate cortisol which is the stress hormones that we have in our bodies. And regulating cortisol can happen over time as a result of movement. Regular movies often show better stress reactivity and recovery. And so to translate that life still throws hectic things at you where do you bounce back faster? Accidentally bouncing back is resilience. Thirdly, there's a focus on brain health. Activity increases blood flow to the brain and is linked to improved executive functioning which is basically your day to day management of tasks that you do. Working memory so your ability to calculate and do tasks that involve calculation and learning. Think of movement as hitting the refresh button on the part of your brain that is called the prefrontal cortex. People who regularly move also tend to fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply. And we all know that better sleep is equivalent to better mood management the next day. The fifth effect is the anti-rumination effect. Have you ever noticed that worries seem smaller after a walk? Or after a nap? But here we're talking about exercise. So worries sometimes seem smaller after a walk. Moving your body changes your environment literally. It shifts your sensory input and interrupts any thought patterns that are looping. So I have an example and this is my 15 minute walk as I'm heading into the office and I'm talking about a brisk walk which helps me get some physical activity going in the mornings and also helps me to unwind and let go of the day in the afternoon. It has started to become the two bookends to my workday and gives me a chance to be in nature because I walk through a very lovely park on my way in. You don't need a full workout to get benefits. Any, any, any intentional movement where they'd be walking the dog dancing while you load the dishwasher, moving whilst you vacuum the home or stretching between Zoom calls any of these activities can start the mood cascade. So if the science is strong, why do so many of us, I include myself in this, why do so many of us struggle to move consistently? Perhaps it's in the stories we tell ourselves. In this segment I'll look at common barriers and help to perhaps try a mindset reframe about these. We'll take a look at five common blockers and help reframe for each. So the first blocker is time and what we might be telling ourselves is a version of the following. If I can't do 60 minutes or 30 minutes, why bother? Anything less than that is not worth it. Well a reframe might be something is better than nothing. It reminds me also of another podcast episode where I said that done beats perfection. Perhaps 10 minutes of doing something is better than nothing. Micro movement, small movements, accumulate. Another blocker might be motivation. So am I tell ourselves a version of I'll start when I feel like it. Well a reframe there is that action precedes motivation. Move first and the mood will follow. Perhaps an action around this would be to put your shoes by the door and start a two minute walk so that it makes it easier for you because your shoes are by the door. The third one is energy. I'm too tired. This is something that I didn't really believe when I heard it. I'm too tired. But the thing that I didn't believe but actually I have learned to understand it is that light movement actually creates energy. Now this is not a science podcast so I'm not going to even break it down. But take my word for it as someone who had to learn this the hard way for himself. Light movement actually creates energy. So if you stand and stretch and shake out your arms for about 60 seconds you might get some movement in your hair in your body and you might get some energy going in your body. Another one that I can relate to is a blocker of self-consciousness. I don't know what I'm doing or I actually look quite dumb doing this. Well the reframe is that your body is not a performance it's your home. So you've got to take care of it. So perhaps walk or march in place or stretch in a private space where no one can see you. The last blocker that I thought of was the all or nothing thinking. So I missed Monday. Well every day I miss is a day further from doing something. So how about a reframe on this that the week offers many opportunities. Every rep every repetition is a reset. Those are some of the blockers. Now when we shrink the barrier movements start to sneak back into our daily life and that's where the real compounding benefits come from. So let's look at some simple. ways to get moving. If you struggle with finding time or more tovation, start small. Here are a few easy ways to incorporate movement into your day. Perhaps take a brisk walk. A bit like me, I ditch the car maybe three to four times a week and I take a brisk 15 minute walk into the office and then I have to do the same in the evening. That's 30 minutes that I'm sneaking in some physical activity. Stretch your do yoga. This is great for improving flexibility and reducing stress and research has shown that a gentle 15 to 20 minutes stretch before bedtime helps prepare the body for sleep. Maybe you'd like to try some body weight exercises where you use your body weight rather than exercise equipment. And simple examples might be squats or lunges or even jumping jacks whilst watching TV. There's an old favourite of mine, dance to your favourite song. Movement should be fun. Perhaps create a playlist or look at my website I have created a few real good playlists and these might help you get moving in the form of dance. And then finally set a movement reminder. Perhaps consider taking a short walk, setting an alarm on your phone to stand up every hour or get some movement going every 15 minutes. Remember that the only bad workout is one that hasn't happened. So get started and see what happens. In this next segment I'm going to guide you on a meditation to help you connect with your body. Now let's take a moment to pause and connect with our bodies. If you find yourself in a safe space to do so, take a deep breath in and out. If you are driving or operating heavy machinery or unable to do this I recommend listening to this but not necessarily doing all the actions. Perhaps visualise the actions that you cannot do because of the activity that you're busy with. In terms of this, join in if you're in a safe place to move. Wherever you are, allow your shoulders to drop and if it feels okay, lengthen your spine. Imagine that someone's gently lifting the ground of your head. Take a slow inhale through your nose. In 2, 3, 4, hold the breath gently and exhale through the mouth like a gentle sigh. Repeat inhale 2, 3, 4, hold the breath gently and then exhale. Do this one more time at your own pace and as you do so notice one point of contact from perhaps the feet on the floor. Your seat in the chair or your hands resting. Then take a moment to gently look right. Move the head to the centre. Gently look left and then bring the head to the centre again. Drop your right ear to your shoulder. Gently breathing in and out and then switching sides. Moving your left ear to your left shoulder gently. You don't have to make any big movements as best as your ear can move. Breathe in and out once doing so. Roll your shoulders, sorry bring your head back to the centre position and then roll your shoulders back and then bring them up and forward and down. Moving your shoulders in slow circles and do this maybe three or four times and then reverse the shoulders doing the same rolling shoulder action in slow circles but the opposite direction. Now it's time for a spine wake up. If seated and able to do so round your back and let your chest collapse. As far as is comfortable allow yourself to roll forward rounding your back and then arch and open. That's one repetition. Do four more repetitions in a slow measured and comfortable manner. If you're standing and it is safe to do so and your body allows place your hands on your thighs, soften your knees and do what's called a cat cow ripple. Cat arching your back and cow dropping your tummy and curving in your spine as far as is comfortable for you. Now it's time for an upper body reach and open. Interlace your fingers reaching overhead if comfortable and breathe into your ribs. On exhale sweep your arms wide open, open your chest. Imagine yourself as a cactus with arms. Stretch as far as possible and then gently bring your hands back to resting position. Finally it's a lower body activation. If you're standing, march in place lifting the knees as far as you're able to and maybe do it for 10 or 20 counts. If you're seated, try sitting to standing from the chair five times. If you're unable to stand up from the chair, rise onto your toes while seated and lower down. These are called heel raises and do this 10 times slowly and in a measured comfortable way. Now it's time to shake and release. Let the wrists shake then the elbows, then the whole arms gently shaking and then perhaps bounce your knees and let the tension go. When you've felt like you've shaken sufficiently, pause with your eyes open or closed, do a gentle visualization scan from head to toes. Where do you feel warmth tingling? ease. No judgment, just information and observation and then take one last deep breath in and out. That was under five minutes. Imagine sprinkling that into your day maybe four times in the day and you've just passed around 20 minutes of physical movement into your day and you've helped reset your nervous system. So let's build you a menu. Actually before the menu, speaking of menus, it reminds me of food and have you ever thought about why a hamburger would go to the gym? I was thinking that perhaps they wanted better buns. Okay, okay, I accept that was pretty lame, but let's mix and match the following so that you can possibly hit a different 20 minutes in your day without having to rearrange your life. As mentioned, try two tens, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the evening, walk, get some mobility going, light cardio. That's you done! Perhaps you want to try a one-song rule. Every time you put on music, move through the whole track. Dance, march, stretch, lunch. The average song is three to four minutes, so five songs in a day is your 20 minutes. Perhaps you want to do something called the commercial break circuit. If you're watching TV, so during the adverts, during the breaks, maybe do five squats. I have wall push-ups, I know they sound pretty hectic, but maybe Google, a version of this that might be useful for you. Perhaps try 10 marching steps and repeat for the duration of the adverts. Perhaps you want to do a standing desk flow. Every hour stand and roll your shoulders to a stir spine as far as it's comfortable, don't overreach, and then try stretching overhead and reaching overhead. Perhaps try calf raises. Two minutes every eight hours gives you 16 bonus minutes. If you're taking a phone call on your cell phone or mobile phone and it's a non-confidential call, perhaps consider walking and talking. Maybe even take the walk and talk outside if it is safe, comfortable and quiet enough to do so. These were just some ways to consider having a menu of activities that you can incorporate into your life as the day goes by. Remember that movement isn't just physical. It's an invitation to drop into your body, regulate your nervous system and reconnect with yourself. So, there's three big things to remember. Movement changes brain chemistry quickly. Use it as an emotional reset. Remember that short counts. Stack micro movements to reach 20 minutes every day. And then finally, consistency beats intensity. Show up, even small and the benefits will compound. Here's a suggestion. If you do journal or want to try journaling, perhaps try a prompt for today. The prompt would be something like, after I move for even a few minutes, I notice and insert what you notice. Another prompt might be, I want to feel more of whatever you noticed in my day. That is a reflective journal prompt and one that also sets up an intention for the next day. Perhaps take 60 seconds later today to jot it down and your future you will thank you. If you feel demotivated about anything in today's podcast, perhaps think about all those people at the gym who are incorrectly using the treadmill by putting their water bottles in the Pringles holder. So, that's a wrap for today's episode of Resilience for Real. If you enjoyed today's conversation as much as I did, and remember that building resilience is a journey not a destination. It's about finding what works for you, celebrating the small wins and learning from the inevitable setbacks. If you enjoyed today's episode, please consider subscribing and sharing with a friend or maybe even leaving a review. Your support means the world to me. So stay well, keep going and remember to be kind to yourself along the way. I'll catch you next time and may you continue to be resilient.