Move Your Body and Nourish Your Soul
Move Your Body
By now, we all have probably read many articles about how we should take care of ourselves during this pandemic. Exercise is at the forefront of many of those articles. I am not here to specify which exercises to do; instead, I want to offer some support on how to get motivated to move your body during this time.
Many of the emotional and physical challenges that we are being presented with like: depression, isolation, lack of joy, and unbearable monotony can all be mitigated with one tool; moving our bodies.
Exercise can take many forms, and it is essential to be kind to ourselves and understand it is common for our regular routines to change in times of stress. It can be damaging to punish ourselves for not continuing our workout routines or even excessively working our bodies as a distraction from how we feel. We would all like to come out of the shelter in place as the fittest we have ever been; however, the reality is that it is okay to just get through it the best we can. So let’s set ourselves up for success.
At this point I am pretty sure that most of us have felt like this...and that is ok. Please understand that every cell in our bodies is working very hard to make sense of this time in history. In other words, on a cellular level, we might be exhausted and chastising ourselves for feeling immobilized.
I say honor it, celebrate it, and let's not put unrealistic expectations on ourselves. If the woman on the couch were to ask me, "how can I get out of this state and be more active?" I would say for today, make a pact with yourself to just take the blanket off your head. You can be successful at that!!! Then go from there at your own pace and with some support. By the end of the week, who knows you may be out from under the blanket and standing up. Celebrate every tiny step of success.
Tips for Building Your Motivation to Move:
Keep it simple. Don’t “should” on yourself (i.e., I “should” have…) Do what is possible for you.
Every piece of furniture, countertop, and stair is a potential piece of exercise equipment. Get creative!
Gentle push-ups off the wall or from the kitchen counter
When you stand up sit down and stand up again
Lie across your bed crossways and stretch your arms overhead to lengthen all the soft tissue that gets shortened from sitting
Do these things with the time you already have. Don’t add it to any to-do list.
Eliminate the word “exercise” and think of any movement that would make you feel happy. I have been dancing instead of walking in the streets of San Rafael, which leads us to our next tip.
Listen to music, close your eyes, and let it fill you with joy and movement.
Move your body in unexpected ways. Walk backward or sideways. Move your arms in all directions.
Tickle your fancy or your funny bone! Do silly movements that make you chuckle in the privacy of your own home.
If you walk outside, stop and smell the roses...literally.
As always, get a buddy and support each other in dealing with this potential hurdle of grand inertia.
If you need more support than you think you have, please get in touch with me. I am working closely with individuals remotely to help them move through the barriers that have them stuck on the couch.
Please remember, our bodies were designed to move. Let’s support each other in honoring that challenging yet straightforward piece of science. And love yourself through it!!!
