Take Your Head Out for a Walk

...an essay from Organized Calm by Linda Miller TM

"Mens Sana in Corpore Sano"—a sound mind in a sound body is the definition of health and happiness… something we all want. You know it when you feel it: sharp-minded, quick-witted, a strong physical presence, and a sunny outlook that melts the blues away; but what did you do to produce it?

Remembering the #1 reason to exercise and using the #1 rule when you do makes it easier to get out the door and harness the mind-body-spirit benefits that shout health and happiness!

Remember the #1 Reason

The real reason you should head outside for a hike or jog, go to the gym, hop on your bike, or attend yoga class is to keep your mind healthy, vibrant, and optimistically sunny. The significant visible benefits to your physical body come second. The chance to feel better about life and yourself in it comes through taking good care of your brain health and remembering that it’s your head that wants to go for a walk. Movement gives you more than a good healthspan and longevity, it helps you manage your daily psychology. Making head-first, body-second the #1 reason you exercise puts your priorities in the right order and allows you to become a walking talking commercial for health and well-being.

Use the #1 Rule

The #1 rule to use once you get out the door is to perform whatever movement you choose long enough to start feeling better about yourself and the world around you, which is usually around twelve to fifteen minutes. That’s roughly the point at which your synapses start firing and sending endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and other feel-good neurotransmitters zooming into your system. After about twenty minutes, you’ll start to feel that famous endorphin rush—the classic “runner’s high,” which has a positive impact on brain chemistry. Around thirty minutes in, that natural high will help you feel lighter, brighter, better, and more hopeful. Use your head as the barometer to gauge the duration of your workout and when you start to feel better about life, are able to smile at a passerby or fellow gym-goer, can think more charitably about your fellow human beings, or are able to let go of some cynicism and reclaim a bit of innocent wonder, you’ve had a successful workout and can call time-out.

We humans are built to move. Beyond the reason and the rule, there are other motivators that can help keep exercise engagement and enthusiasm high. Here are a few that have worked for me:

Do what you like and use what you have

Tailoring exercise to fit your needs and desires is easier if you do what you like and use what you have. Steer yourself toward the activities, classes, equipment, and types of exercise that interest you without feeling the need to follow the latest trends. Try things out, but in the end, follow your own exercise bliss.

Pay attention to place

If you like to go to the gym, find the best one your budget will allow. Make sure this home away from home is clean, inviting, friendly, and fills you with a feeling of familiarity, ownership, inspiration, and aspiration.

If you exercise at home, arrange a space that appeals to your sensibilities as well as functionality. A beautiful set of weights all lined up and ready to go, some essential oils or an aromatherapy candle next to the yoga mat, or a stationary bike with a view to the outdoors practically beg you to participate.

The gym has its place and home is convenient, but when you can, go out into nature to exercise. Fresh air and sunshine give the fullest and finest renewal of mind, body, and spirit. Take a deep breath, feel the breeze on your skin, let your eyes drink in the general splendor, and inhale nature’s own aromatherapy. Fragrant flowers and grasses or earthy woods and sea breezes will make you wish you never had to exhale. Celebrate all your senses as you move your body through a workout. Make your outdoor spot or hiking trail your own and as you get to know it and become familiar, your special place will welcome you back every time, rain or shine—like a good friend who gives you great pleasure and with whom you want to visit regularly and spend time.

Exercise like a kid

Do some of the things you did as a kid; basketball, swimming, tennis, playing catch, or swinging on the backyard or playground swing set help you feel young and alive. Doing a version of the activities or sports you did when you were young helps your muscles remember the unbridled exuberance and physical accomplishment of your youth and helps you recall the you that you know and like.

Don’t discount the everyday tasks you do

There are plenty of household chores and daily tasks that may not fit into a conventional exercise category, but they still require the lifting, bending, and stretching that increase strength, stamina, and overall conditioning. All forms of movement add up: walking to and from the car or up a flight of stairs, bending down to pick up papers or plug in a device, reaching around to grab a file at your desk, kneading the bread dough or mixing a batch of cookies by hand. There are a million and one things you do every day that help you keep your body fit; don’t discount them. Instead, intentionally recognize them as part of your fitness regimen. Anyone who has ever experienced a debilitating injury quickly realizes that the simplest movements can provide the body with much-needed “exercise.”

Make it fun!

The likelihood of being able to stick to an exercise routine is greater if there is some fun involved in the effort: a piece of new equipment, workout clothes that make you feel athletic and sporty, music you like, or an exercise buddy or friendly group with whom you find solidarity. Everyone has their own idea of fun, but injecting whatever that is into a workout can make it feel less like a chore and more like an invitation.

Treat yourself

Purchase the best equipment you can afford. If you have been eyeing a new set of weights, a stationary bike, resistance bands, a treadmill, yoga mat, or whatever you can get excited about using, buy it.

Give yourself the gift of good footwear. When you lace up, strap on, or buckle in, what you wear on your feet should feel like built-in extensions of your legs, not foreign objects. Good quality shoes, boots, sandals, ballet flats, crampons, or cleats, should make you feel like you can direct your legs to do anything you want them to do and succeed at it.

Splurge on workout clothes that make you feel good about yourself and what you’re doing. Soft, breathable fabrics, sleek design, the newest colors and latest technology. Apparel that helps you function like the pros boosts your adrenaline, makes workouts easier and more enjoyable, and inspires you to work your muscles a little harder in the process.

Trade up

Replace old, lost, or tired with something better than what you had. This general “trade-up” rule of thumb applies to anything lost or stolen, or that has seen better days; trading up a notch allows you to feel better about the circumstances surrounding the original loss or demise and better about your circumstances in general. When it comes to workout equipment, clothing, gear, or gym facilities, investing in new and better versions is motivating and can be just the ticket needed to jumpstart renewed enthusiasm.

Tap into the power of music

The ancient Greeks put one god in charge of both medicine and music: Apollo. Listening to music is medicinal just about any time you do it, but when combined with exercise, science has proven that music acts like a booster shot to your brain’s neural networks by lowering blood pressure, lessening stress, elevating mood, and reducing cardiac risk factors associated with social isolation. From a practical perspective, music makes moving easier and more fun by giving the exerciser a tempo to work with and a rhythm to coordinate movements to. Music and exercise make a perfect match and when they team up, it’s as if your whole body is doing the listening and moving to the beat of life.

Your head wants to feel good. It’s aware of your holistic, mind-body-spirit connection and knows that the health and happiness of all your parts depends on you moving your body on a daily basis. It tries different ways of first asking you nicely to exercise, then talks a little less politely and more insistently if aches and pains arise, and finally starts barking orders when injury or illness occur. Listen to your head and move. Even if it’s a semi-slow walk, putting one foot in front of the other for twelve to fifteen minutes will boost your brain chemistry by igniting the endorphin-producing dopamine pathways that want so much to give you their rewards. When you get your priorities in order—head-first, body-second —your sound mind inside your sound body produces the kind of well-being that can make every day seem like a diamond day, where the airwaves seem cleaner, colors look brighter, sounds ring clearer, and life sparkles!

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