Move!

Dear Friends,

We all know that a sedentary lifestyle isn’t good for our health, but did you know that sitting too much can also make us feel more stressed?

Our bodies are designed to release stress through movement. 

When we see or hear something stressful, chemicals such as adrenaline are released into our bloodstream.

Those chemicals are meant to help us take action - to fight or flee.

When we can’t move our bodies and process the stress hormones, they build up, causing problems like inflammation.

You can imagine what a challenge this is for our bodies and minds if we’re constantly experiencing stressful situations in our lives, our work, and our world and we aren’t able to process them through.

If you have to sit a lot, at least once an hour try to take a break from looking at screens and do something to move the stress chemicals out of your body, such as:

• Shake your whole body!

• Go for a fast walk - in nature is ideal but even around the office is good

• Dance! - especially to music that lifts your mood!

• Do squats or toe raises

• Windmill your arms

• Anything that moves your body!

Even a minute or two of moving your body frequently throughout the day can make a big difference in your overall stress levels.

Longer periods of movement also are great for our physical and mental health, but studies are suggesting that short movement breaks throughout the day may be even better for our overall health.

Note: If you aren’t able to stand up and move, try to at least close your eyes for a minute or two and imagine doing joyful movement - you’ll still get a lot of the benefit.

Sending you much love,

Liz