For most of us, we are now a couple of weeks into our social distancing measures. We may well be starting to find our new normal.
The sunshine that is forecast for the majority of the UK is going to be a mixed blessing for many. For those with outdoor space, it will be a blessing that this can be utilised and those without access to an outdoor space will feel the frustration of not being able to go out more. As with everything, it’s easy for us to find ourselves forgetting that other people have different realities, we need to use this time to build our emotional intelligence by understanding ourselves better and our friends, family and colleagues.
This week we are focusing on movement.
Remember those days when you could walk between meetings, head to the coffee shop, and meet friends after work for dinner? Those steps that we clocked without even trying? For many of us, we spent the day switching between periods of sedentary and action, but at least we switched. Our bodies are designed to move!
If we think about the four pillars of the Stress Matters Workplace Wellbeing Model, we can see why movement is so important.
Physical
• Keep body loose
• Building muscle
• Increased blood flow
• Keep weight down
• Increasing flexibility
• Maintain metabolism
• Lubricate the joints
Depending on how in tune you are with your body, you might notice some of these things missing quite quickly. I know that I used to do an average of about 11,000 steps a day, which is now down at around 4,000 steps per day and I’m conscious that I feel a bit tighter. What I’ve now had to include in my day is stretching in the form of gentle yoga to make up for the lack of steps I can take.
Mental
• Reduces stress
• Increases clarity
• Improves focus
• Improves concentration
These are some of the most important benefits of movement. And these benefits provide us the incentive to build movement in throughout our day, not just the one time we can leave the house. Try getting up from your desk every 30-45 mins and move. Whether that’s to walk around your house, do some star jumps, squats, or try and touch your toes, moving throughout the day will mean that every time you head back towards your laptop, you’ll be that bit more productive.
Emotional
• Chemicals such as dopamine are released and make us happy
• We feel confident and strong
• Re-energised
• Mindful focus
These emotional benefits are probably the most under-estimated. Moving our bodies can make us feel happier. So, trying to be a bit creative throughout the day to keep ourselves happy makes sense. If you’ve not been using your whole hour outside, use every minute of it and think about what time of day you would most benefit from this extended period of movement.
Do you need to kick-start your day, or do you think you’d benefit most from this re-energising activity in the middle of the day?
Spiritual
• Goal oriented
• Sense of achievement
• Passion
• Purpose
• Exploring the boundaries of what you can do
• Push yourself further than you thought possible
• Connection with your body through breath, energy and movement
• Building of a community when done with others
• Getting in tune with nature when it involves a trail run or hike
Previously, we might have thought about movement goals such as training for a 5k, a marathon, a triathlon or being part of a sports team. For the time-being, we might need to set ourselves some new movement goals. For us to thrive rather than survive isolation, let’s set ourselves some new goals that we can work towards and actually achieve.
Feeling that sense of community, one of the spiritual benefits of exercise is tough at the moment but it is not possible. Time your hour outside with a friend and talk on the phone at the same time. Connect on Strava or Map My Run and keep looking at their activity feed and cheer each other on.
Each of our wellbeing pillars are significantly improved by movement. Set yourself a movement plan. What are you going to do and when? How are you going to monitor this and how are you going to reward yourself for achieving what you set out to do?
According to the American Council on Exercise, people who track their steps take an average of 2,500 more steps per day than those who don’t. Have you looked at how many steps you’ve been doing recently?
Over the coming weeks, we will delve into energy, rhythm, connection and kindness – the 4 other areas of our Thrive Not Survive approach.
I want to Thrive not just Survive.
#ThrivenotSurvive
