The movement-wellness connection

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Incorporate movement in your day to improve mental and physical wellness

Our blog this month is about movement and wellness. You may wonder why I am saying movement, instead of exercise. “Movement” is an all-encompassing term that includes both fitness and general physical activity we participate in every day, like taking a short walk at lunchtime or performing some gentle stretches after you wake up. “Exercise” is planned and structured activities, usually meant to achieve a fitness goal.

So often in our society, we want to jump on the latest exercise trend. We feel pressure and can experience shame and/or guilt related to our bodies. The reality is that we sometimes lack motivation, feel too tired, can’t afford a gym membership, or have competing priorities that make it difficult to exercise as regularly as we feel we should.

That’s OK. Find ways to move when you can. Make small adjustments and changes, and offer yourself grace when you are unable to meet a goal. I often use the “Move with Mel” on the Calm app which allows me five minutes in the morning to create movement and boost my energy levels.

Here’s an experience shared by Chris Kirby, one of our licensed social workers:

After receiving my undergraduate education, I had a difficult time transitioning into adulthood. I felt that my undergraduate experience did not prepare me for this new chapter. As a result, I started attending therapy sessions to help manage my symptoms of anxiety, depression, and panic. Throughout my initial sessions, I soon found myself stuck. To help facilitate progress, my therapist recommended I try a somatic movement, which led me to martial arts.

For the next several months, I learned invaluable skills: mindfulness, stress reduction, physical development, emotion regulation, and resilience. Martial arts practice requires repetitive movements to bolster muscle memory. By doing this, you become more in touch with yourself. It also strengthens the body-mind connection, which in turn requires you to be physically present.

Practicing martial arts helped me learn to regulate my emotions because it exposed me to stressful situations. For example, during sparring sessions, I noticed I felt fearful, hasty, and self-deprecating. I learned that in order to progress, I had to remain calm, focus on my technique, regulate my breathing, and refrain from panicking in a bad situation. By learning to navigate a physically difficult situation, I developed tools to navigate an emotionally difficult one.

Movement can be a healthy outlet to relieve stress and increase physical performance all while setting goals and achieving them. It is not uncommon to fail during practice, which teaches you how to persevere to achieve your goal – or change the goal to be something more aligned with what you want to accomplish. I noticed that if I persevered through these failures, I felt an increase in self-esteem, knowing that I chose to continue instead of avoiding a specific challenge.

That’s just one example of how movement can drastically impact wellness. Choose whatever movement you like – yoga, tai chi, biking, swimming, weightlifting, Zumba, high-intensity interval training, Pilates, hiking, walking, and more. They all offer healthy benefits. Remember: Rest and recovery are essential components of any fitness regimen to prevent overtraining and injuries. Always start with a warmup and cooldown.

Benefits of movement include improved mood from the release of endorphins and various brain chemicals, improved cardiovascular system health, strengthening of bones and muscles, reduced health risks for a multitude of diseases, improved thinking and cognition, better sleep, and managing chronic health conditions and disabilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Dr. Nicole LePera’s book “How to Do the Work,” she explains how, when the mind and body are linked in a safe place, we can “widen the window” of stress tolerance.

Exercises that challenge your mind and body reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and dementia and even slow the aging process. Cardiovascular exercise increases oxygen and blood circulation within the entire body and creates measurable changes in the brain, increasing the size and health of the organ while stimulating new neuronal pathways and strengthening existing ones.

She also talks about the power of the vagus nerve and how yoga is explicitly a direct activation of the vagus nerve. Dr. Stephen Porges developed Polyvagal Theory, emphasizing the role of the autonomic nervous system – especially the vagus nerve – in regulating our health and behavior.

To learn more, please watch this video by clicking here.

Some questions to think about related to your movement and well-being:

  • What movements and activities do you already enjoy doing?
  • What activities could you do with your friends, family, or loved ones?
  • For someone looking for more connection, what activities can you use to meet new people?
  • What feels accessible to you right now?
  • When has movement felt good? Is there anything similar you could try?

Thank you,

Allison LaRussa

Allison LaRussa B.A, CPS, RYT (she/her)

AVP, Health Humanities, Trauma-Informed Sanctuary Frameworks, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education