This is the second blog in my current series – helping you to become ready in mind and body to reach success! The topics are:
• Eat your way to success
• MOVE your way to success
• Rest your way to success and
• Play your way to success
Last time in EAT your way to success we talked about healthy diets to promote a healthy body and a healthy mind.
This week MOVE is the theme for the blog – and how exercise can benefit mind and body.
Those who come to the Pomodoro sessions I run know that each 25 segment of work is followed by a 5 minute seated exercise session.
There are two main reasons:
• To stretch out the muscles of the shoulders, back and legs in particular – as sitting motionless at a desk for hours is really bad for your body
• To get the blood circulating and get oxygen and nutrients flowing up to the brain.
The benefit is astounding – people find they are really energised and much more productive than sitting motionless at their desks.
It has to be combined with adequate hydration – drinking water is absolutely essential (and that also makes you get up for comfort breaks too!). The brain needs food, hydration and oxygen in order to function correctly.
Movement and exercise are obviously good for the body – but are also vital to brain health too.
• By actually promoting the growth of new connections between nerve cells in the brain! And particularly in areas such as the hippocampus which is associated with memory
• By promoting the release of the “good” hormones and neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
The biggest tip is that you don’t all need to become runners (running is certainly not for me!) but as with food – find things that you will actually enjoy so you will participate!
Exercise classes such as Pilates where you don’t necessarily work up a sweat will still benefit you.
Walking is incredibly good for you – it will be better if you can move at a reasonable pace, but you don’t need to power walk. Use the time to listen to a book or a podcast or talk on the phone if you think it’s a “taking too much time”. Or book a walking coaching call!
Swimming.
Dancing.
And you can even use it as a form of meditation!
Do you get enough exercise? Tell me in the comments how you get MOVING – and if you don’t move enough what can you do to improve matters? As ever, make small changes – what small change can you make today!
Next time we will look at REST and SLEEP.
Get in touch if you would like to discuss further.