Movement for Mobility and the Mind

You’ve heard the adage before…sitting is the new smoking. Science says staying stationary on our bums for extended periods of time can have detrimental long-term effects on the body. With so many of us chained to our desks throughout the day, our posture can take a hit, our core strength can wane, and the aches and pains may become more prevalent. Even our mood and energy levels will be negatively impacted. 

Mobility

We were born to get up on our feet and move. Motion promotes blood circulation and flexibility, keeping our joints, tissues and muscles healthy.  When you’re feeling stiff and achy, that’s precisely when you should allow your body to engage in gentle movements to loosen up. Take it from Optimal Health Alliance’s very own orthopedic massage therapist, Caitlin Thompson, founder of Amada Therapies: “The tendency with any (arthritic) pain is to immobilize the joints as a protective measure and that can obviously make the situation worse.”  

If you’re easing back into exercising, start with a low-impact, muscle-strengthening exercise. As per Caitlin: “It’s important to build strong muscles…strong musculature takes pressure off any affected joint.”

Try a few cycles of a slow and simple yoga flow of the following poses: downward dog, plank to upward dog, back to plank, downward dog, and finally, child’s pose. Caitlin outlines for us the added benefits of practices like yoga: “These practices engage mindfulness and meditation, which can help to reduce stress and anxiety, decrease perceptions of pain, and alleviate fatigue and insomnia”. 

Begin incorporating just small bits of exercise (start with 10 minutes) into your day and work your way into a variety of strength, balance and aerobic exercises each week to maintain your flexibility, prevent muscle atrophy and improve chronic pain.  

Mental Health

We now know body movement gets the blood flowing. This blood circulation is crucial for the brain, promoting connectivity and cell regeneration. Even just a one-off cardio exercise will trigger the release of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), stimulating the growth of brain cells! Studies show that this growth is particularly key in the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain.

Working doesn’t only improve your brain function.  Are you feeling stressed out? Getting your heart rate up from aerobic and strength exercises will also release endorphins and stimulate dopamine and serotonin production…making you feel more relaxed, clear-headed and uplifted after a workout. 

Exercise is no longer about just losing weight or looking good. It’s a functional way to manage chronic pain, maintain your musculoskeletal structure into your later years, and improve your mental state. 

How to Implement  

There’s no one-size-fits-all exercise regimen. If you don’t love running but love to dance, turn up the music and bounce around your home for 10 minutes while your dinner is cooking. Yes, it can be that simple!

With chronic pain, it’s important to stay limber but lay off the high impact activities. Yoga, pilates, walking meditation and small weight training exercises can go a long way. 

If you function more consistently with accountability, link up with a buddy to do online exercises together, virtually. 

Consistency is key!  Schedule in the movement, whether it’s first thing the morning, right before lunch, during the afternoon slump or before you sit down to dinner. Start with 10-minute increments and work your way up to 30 minutes over a few weeks’ time. Your body and mind will be all the better for it.