Movement is Medicine
I’m convinced movement is a necessary part of mental health. This isn’t just an opinion, movement really a key component of health in every aspect. Lets talk about just a few of the biological reasons for why movement is so important.
Movement helps keeps our blood sugar levels regulated which is important for managing inflammation, energy levels, mood, anxiety, brain health as we age, and chronic disease prevention.
Movement has been shown to improve focus and reduce symptoms of ADHD, with similar efficacy to medication.
Movement helps improve symptoms of depression and anxiety by releasing feel good chemicals into your body.
Movement helps your body both train to better handle stress and manage stressful times when they occur.
Building muscle protects your bones as you age.
Regular movement helps keep blood pressure regulated.
Moving your body helps keep your digestive tract moving (slow motility can lead to digestive distress).
Some of my favorite reasons to incorporate movement into your life, besides feeling better, is the life lessons that it offers. Movement can help you understand your body and get in sync with it. Knowing when to rest and when you can push yourself is invaluable information that we often ignore when making decisions for ourselves. Challenging your body is hard and this challenge can help us build frustration and discomfort tolerance, as well as, strengthening the ability to discern between healthy challenge and what is too much. All of these are necessary traits for personal growth. Movement builds self-esteem and self-confidence. If you can do hard physical things, you can do hard mental things. Movement builds resilience and discipline, allowing for a greater sense of self-trust and ability to work towards goals. Moving your body is also a wonderful way to process and move through emotions. Having a movement routine can be a source of comfort and normalcy during hard or painful times in life. Movement has historically been a part of community and spiritual practices as well. My almost 91-year-old grandpa who walks and does his exercises everyday, has always said keeping moving is what keeps him healthy, with a generous amount of rest when he’s tired of course. Movement is a gift we give to ourselves, mind, body, and spirit.
Questions to ponder:
What life lessons have you learned from movement?
How can you incorporate intentional movement into your life to connect to yourself, mind, body, and spirit?
What gets in the way of you moving your body?
