SYBF Week 5 Check-in: Brain-Body Connection
Earlier in the week, we looked at the brain-body connection and how we can curb and control our feelings and mindset through our bodies. This mid-week check-in looks at mix-and-match strategies for fostering communication and connection. The timing of the Brain-Body Connection theme seems to be spot on as I have heard from many of you that you make a physical activity plan in our growth mindset week. Hopefully, you’ll find some strategies here that you already use and find new ones that can help you stay the course and meet your goals. The new or returning walkers, runners, hikers, gym rats, yogis - this week’s for you!
Just as we are all different in how we think, learn, and experience the world, we also differ in what motivates us. Below are strategies that can help you increase your activity levels through an exercise commitment. incorporate exercise keep your commitment to engage your body to increase your brain health. Find the strategies that best suit you and use them to help you stay the course.
Motivational Tools & Strategies for Increasing Physical Activity
Use your support people. Share your plan with a few select people who will hold you accountable or can motivate you. But don’t talk about it too widely or with too many people. For many, the more you talk about your plan, the more your brain feels the satisfaction of achievement, which can detract from your overall motivation.
Track your progress, analog or electronic. Track your progress in tangible ways that work best for you, whether electronic with apps (MyFitnessPal, smartwatch, Apple Fitness, etc.) or “old school style” analog (paper log, dairy/journal, etc.)
Get paid for working out. Join an app service that pays you or donates for your time exercising, such as Paceline. You won’t get rich, but all those small dollar bonuses will add up, and you can save them up and use them as a reward for meeting a larger goal.
Hacks for the very busy. Break your movement into smaller pieces for those super busy days. While health professionals recommend 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, you can work those 150 hours however you want. Break your active time into smaller, 5, 10, or 15-minute chunks. Some movement is better than none!
Connect exercise to things you like... Combine exercise with something else you enjoy. For example, save your favorite podcast or audiobook for your daily walk, do bodyweight exercises, or march in place while watching your favorite TV online show.
… OR Connect exercise with required activities. If you have to do chores, you might as well benefit from it and get your exercise out of the way simultaneously. A few ideas to get you started brainstorming: walk, march, or jog in place while folding clothes, increase your pace when mowing the lawn (with a push mower, of course), jog or fast walk when tidying up around the house or yard, add in body strength training activities between chores (lunges, squats, biceps/triceps exercises with things you pick up to put away), and take phone meeting while walking. Of course, ensure your activity and movement are compatible and, when combined, don’t put you in danger.
Join or don’t join a gym. For some the gym is a motivator, for others, it’s a disabler. Use the motivation of a gym or class membership if you are competitive or motivated to work a little harder when others are watching. Skip the gym if you are paralysed by the idea of others watching or if you feel guilt by not using the gyn you pay for, it’s not for you, find something else!
Embrace the elements. We are creatures of comfort and can quickly use the excuse of the weather being too hot or too cold to avoid outside exercise. However, there are increased benefits when we exercise in less comfortable environments and temperatures. Dress for the weather and do it anyway; you might be pleasantly surprised by the extra happy brain chemicals released.
Mitigate pain. Exercise is an antidote to pain, both acute and chronic. This is because exercise releases feel-good chemicals, strengthens your immune system, and allows for increased blood flow that helps carry away the debris stored in the body. Of course, never force movement or exercise that pushes you too hard can exacerbate an acute injury.
Combat fatigue. Energy makes energy. When tired, sometimes the best antidote is to boost your body and brain by boosting your heart rate. Take a short, brisk walk and reassess your fatigue levels. If you feel better, walk longer or even increase your exercise for short bursts. If you still feel very tired, take a limited power nap (15-20 minutes) and try exercise later.
Swap exercise for hobbies or activities. For many, “exercise” or “working out” are words loaded with internalized cultural or familial messages about health, beauty, and body image. If this is the case for you, seek out activities and hobbies, like Pickleball, Frisbee Golf, Bird Watching, hiking clubs, etc.
Curious how current your health knowledge is? Take this fun NY Times quiz to stretch and test your knowledge: Test Your Exercise I.Q. I learned some new workout information through this quiz, and I hope you do too!
Growing together,
Olivia