Fit thinking
Dear friends,
This one is for those who are allergic to exercise. We despise sweating it out on treadmills, jogging, you name it. Or, perhaps we don’t have the time despite the good intentions. How can we start on our self-care journey?
Here is a suggestion – Do a little something, however small – even two minutes. Why do I say that?
Scientists have found that for the same level of activity, people who “felt” 1 they were less active died sooner compared to those who “felt” they were more active. Felt is underlined, bold, and in inverted commas here. In other words, your mind just has to feel you are more active without your body actually being more active! (Look at the study below)
How can you feel you are more active and fit? Do something. The direction of movement is as important as getting there. The same speed at 60 mph feels much faster when you are accelerating from 40 mph compared to decelerating from 80 mph.
So, start with moving your muscles, if only for your mind. (Remember though that just moving your wrist five times clockwise and then anti-clockwise won’t be enough!).
I hope the little something you do starts you on a journey into better self-care in the coming weeks and months.
Take care.
Amit
1: Zahrt OH, Crum AJ. Perceived physical activity and mortality: Evidence from three nationally representative U.S. samples. Health Psychol. 2017 Nov;36(11):1017-1025. doi: 10.1037/hea0000531. Epub 2017 Jul 20. PubMed PMID: 28726475.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=28726475
Amit Sood, MD MSc
www.resilientoption.com
www.resiliencetrainer.com
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