Movement is the currency of life.
Most of us know that exercise is a good thing whether we choose to do it or not. I’m not here to bore you with the medical reasons why. Rather, I invite you to join me on a nostalgic journey back to a vacation or activity where moving was part of your memory, and when moving was fun.
What were you doing: hiking to the top of a bluff, pruning and tweaking a garden, biking through fields of lupine, crashing through waves at the beach, running a race in Door County or blissfully zoning out at a yoga retreat? Regardless of what it was, Movement including memories are programmed into our mind and our body.
These movement memories helped us to connect to a positive mood, breathe deeply, boost creativity and protected against the negative effects of stress. Positive memories are stored in our brains and movement maps get programmed into our body. These neurological patterns make it easier to motivate oneself to help us to repeat them. Doing the activities that we enjoy, makes it easier to create healthy movement habits. You can up your movement mojo, by happily reminiscing.
The next time you plan to make fun movement activities, try these 3 tips:
1. Pick stuff you can do that challenges you, even if it’s a little challenging; little steps are what lead to long term benefits.
2. Connect to your body and think about what feels good; is it the way you breathe, your strength, chatting with a friend or something else…
3. Connect to movement nostalgia? What have you done in the past that set you up to enjoy the experience? For example, it could be remembering a trip to the Grand Canyon and how much you loved the hike as you prepare for a vacation hiking in Yosemite National Park.
Need someone to think through best movement plans for you due to a chronic health problem or old injury? Movement is the currency of life, let us help. There are always things you can do.