Movement
In 2015, some doctors put out a paper saying that if the effects of exercise were put into a pill it would be considered a miracle cure by all standards. If you want a long, happy and healthy life, you should really get moving before spending time and money on all sorts of medications and health strategies.
Unfortunately, some of us will read this and still won’t be motivated to move more. Why is this? Well, we don’t have a neural pathways set up for it and so it seems a lot more challenging than it really is. On top of that, we have addictions to habits which consume our time and energy, leaving us feeling exhausted before we even start moving.
In this lesson we will look at some simple ways we can get active. We will approach this objective from two angles: 1) how to build fun movement habits, and 2) how to weaken addictive sedentary habits.
How to build fun movement habits
I love to move it, move it! Let’s start with some quick movement motivation. When we move, a slew of feel-good endorphins run through our veins and not only gives us the stamina to power through a long day, but it also keeps us from developing early bone loss as we age. As we exercise, oxygen and nutrients are delivered to our tissues which helps our cardiovascular system work more efficiently. This improves the strength and health of our heart and lungs and gives us more energy during the day. That’s right – movement gives you more energy, not less! (Have you ever seen those construction workers who move around all day and then go to the gym after work? If moving takes away your energy, where do they get all this energy from?)
Alright, time for simple, fun ways to get your move on. We’ve touched on some of these in previous lessons, but we really can’t hit this point home enough times.
Swimming. I’m starting with this because it’s my absolute favourite. I’ve been swimming ever since I was a little girl and my favourite time growing up was being inside the pool. Today, my local spa is where I spend time swimming laps almost every morning. I love it because it’s easy on my joints and a great cardio workout! Even if you don’t like swimming, consider what sorts of movement activities you did as a child. You’re nostalgia will give you an added boost of motivation as you re-trigger old neural pathways.
Yoga and Stretching. Because you may feel a little sluggish or weak on this cleanse, you may feel times that you’re just not up for a cardio workout. That’s ok! Here are some basic stretches and yoga postures anyone can do. Any stretching with twists are especially good for you because it helps your organs move and detoxify. If you think you’re not “doing any work” when you’re doing yoga, think again! Stretching dives deep into the fascia, a part of your body in between your muscle and organs that is almost like elastic wiring bands. Yoga strengthens the fascia which helps protect your organs. We’ve already discussed this in previous lessons, so you can also go back and look at some of the yoga and stretching sequences from previous lessons. I also recommend pilates.
Walking. This is a great way to get moving which doesn’t really take a lot of motivation. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed by the thought of working out and we may put it off as a result. Well, if that happens, consider just doing a casual walk instead. Getting outside and moving around is always an improvement from being stuck indoors. It’s also an excellent way to spend some quality time with your loved ones.
Dancing. Dancing was never in my culture growing up, but for some people, it is second nature. Throw on some favourite jams and get that body moving to the beat. Great to do with friends or family. It is also an excellent opportunity to reprogram your mind if you put on music with good messaging and good rhythm.
Hanging and Playing. This was inspired by London Real’s documentary on Ido Portal called Just Move. In this documentary, Ido shares the knowledge he has learned from studying with over 50 different types of movement experts in various fields from around the world. Some of his conclusions for the best ways to be active are actually just hanging from a bar or a tree or just playing around. Ido mentions that when working out we repeat the same movement over and over again which is unnatural, but, when we play, we are responding to random events which will require a full range of movement responses from us. This gives a deeper workout to our body as it uses all sorts of tiny muscles that wouldn’t otherwise be used and it uses all our muscles in a wide range of ways.
How to weaken sedentary habits
We’ve all done it. We’ve sat in front of a screen for hours (or I dare say days for some of us) trying to accomplish some objective in virtual reality while our body dwindles in this physical dimension. The worst part is, these screens hack some of our oldest neural circuitry to keep us hooked. Friends, it takes a lot of willpower to create healthy habits around technology. This section will help you identify sedentary habits and then will look at some body-saving strategies to combat them.
Let’s start by taking a look at all the most common sedentary habits. If you are doing any of the following habits frequently with few breaks, this section is for you.
List of common sedentary habits:
- Watching tv
- Using your phone
- Using your laptop computer
- Using your desktop computer
- Using your tablet
- Using your gaming platform
- Using your VR headset
- Driving
- Reading
- Paperwork
- Sitting and talking to friends
Alright, now let’s look at simple techniques for weakening them. The challenge is that when we are doing any of these sedentary habits we are focusing our mind outside of our body and onto the external world around us. This tends to create a lack of awareness (or temporary numbness) within our body. To solve this challenge, we need to draw our awareness back to our body. The following list of techniques will accomplish this:
Break timers. Super simple, super effective. Get a kitchen timer and set it for 55 minutes. Every time you start doing any of the above sedentary habits, start the timer and place it across the room. When it goes off, you will be forced to get up and turn it off. At which point, bring your awareness to your body and check in with it. Spend the next 5 minutes taking care of it: go to the bathroom, stretch your limbs, focus your eyes on something far away, do some simple cardio, etc.
Activity triggers. Everything you do starts with a mental trigger or suggestion. Advertisers know this which is why they do everything they can to associate their products with specific emotions or experiences (for example, think ‘bud light power play’ or ‘have a break, have a kit kat’). When you really understand the power of suggestion you can employ it to great results within your own psyche (rather than let the richest members in society program you). Some simple ways to do this is to set up triggers for yourself. For example, put your running shoes or swim suit in the middle of the floor pointing towards the door, so when you see it in the morning you will immediately be triggered towards that activity. Here is a detailed article on creating habit triggers.
Success sounds. Often when we fail at a habit, it’s because we are experiencing a different part of our personality than we were when we initially wanted to create the habit. If only we could get ourselves back into the motivated part of our personality instead of being stuck in this lethargic one… wait, we can! There are numerous ways to shift between different active personalities. (Quick note: everyone has many personality parts, it’s a normal part of being human). One of the best ways is to play a sound or song which invokes the personality part you want to experience. It could be a really joyful, excited song, it could be a short inspirational talk, or even just a solfeggio frequency to centre you in your heart. You could even code yourself to shift at the sound of a gong or bell if you were motivated to do that. Whatever strategy you use, use the power of vibration to your advantage.
Start small. It’s great to have big bodacious goals for the future, but start small and simple in the present. Every mountain climb starts with a simple step, and that’s just where you’re at when you’re building a new neural pathway. Maybe start with a 3 minute walk up and down your hallway. When you complete it, that’s awesome! You’ve just started to create an active neural pathway in your brain for walking. Be sure to thank yourself for doing that 3 minute walk. Remember, it’s better to do a ridiculously small and simple habit every day than a giant step one day which you never take again.
Next Steps
Choose the Customization Path which feels right for you.
- If you aren’t getting active daily, choose one of the suggestions from the ‘fun movement habits’ section and take a small step towards it daily.
- If you’re finding that you regularly aren’t moving for even a few hours of your day, choose one of the suggestions from the ‘how to weaken sedentary habits’ section and apply it daily.
- Choose at least one of the suggestions from the ‘fun movement habits’ section and take a small step towards it daily.
- Choose two or more of the suggestions from the ‘how to weaken sedentary habits’ section and apply it daily.
How active are you daily?
A. Very active. I love moving!
B. Fairly active. I move most days and have some activities I enjoy.
C. Somewhat active. I move a few times a week.
D. Not yet active. I don’t really move much.
If A or B: I recommend the Steady Path.
If C or D: I recommend the Impact Path.
Inspiration Corner
Affirmation: I am so happy and grateful that I can move my body. I love the feeling of moving and my body thanks me every time I move. I can see my mindset slowly shifting to enjoy movement more and more each day.
Resource: There are a lot of excellent movement classes for free online. I recommend searching your favourite online video platform out a few classes. Even better, you can find some active classes near you. The added momentum from being in a room filled with other people committed to moving is invaluable.
Super Support
Movement can also be inspired from a physical dimension. If you use any of peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon or marjoram essential oils, they will biologically spark you to move it, move it!
Another great natural product which you can use to support yourself is doTERRA’s Deep Blue Rub. This is a favourite products amongst our athletes for relieving sore muscles and tension after a workout.