We all have different sources and forms of stress; some we cannot eliminate. However, it is possible to reduce the effects of negative events in our lives and live with little impacts of stress. My father always said: “It is not what happens that matters, but how we react to it”.
When I think of movement and stress reduction, a quote comes to mind: ‘Why sit here until we die?’
These were the words of four lepers who were hungry, tired and out of options. There was a war in Israel, and the food supply had been cut off.
The siege was so bad that loving, devoted mothers were forced to become cannibals and kill their children for food.
Although these lepers were in a hopeless situation, they still had the power of thought and action, as well as the power of choice.
They asked an all-important question, ‘Why sit here till we die?’ In other words, we may never be able to change our situation by just sitting around and doing nothing.
Here is the focal point: ‘ To sit still is to die.’ We do not have to be restless or run around all the time, but to sit constantly for hours every day is to literally die slowly.
Am I against sitting down? Absolutely not! Chairs were made for a reason. Even thrones are glorified chairs, and they signify power and importance.
However, sitting for hours, day after day, weakens your immune system, your spine, and your waist, reduces blood circulation, and affects your mood.
Movement is as important as eating healthy foods, drinking enough water and yearly medical checkups. Constant and consistent movement instead of sitting for long hours helps your posture as you get older, your breathing, digestion, bones, muscles and mood!
There are times when sitting for long periods of time cannot be avoided. Pending deadlines or a heavy office workload could sometimes require hours in front of a computer. Even in such situations, there is a solution.
When you get the chance to stand up, make sure you stretch your limbs; that is, your hands, fingers and legs. Touch your toes if you can, arch your back forwards and backwards to stretch it out and gently rotate your head slowly from left to right, then up and down. This can be done periodically, even while you work.
If you feel you need to stretch in private, you can do some of these stretches whenever you take a bathroom break. Not everyone can touch their toes and stretch their arms in public offices.
Those who stand for long hours are not excluded; you must also stretch periodically.
To exercise or move more, you can join a gym, take hikes or long walks when you are not working or download workout videos from the comfort of your home.
Perhaps you are not a gym person and have never done a workout one day in your life; do not panic; what matters most is frequent and intentional movement.
Find activities that are simple but make you jump or stand, but most importantly, move happily for a couple of minutes. It could be dancing, swimming – or playing in the pool, skipping, playing ball or sports with friends or family or simply walking to places you need to go that are close by instead of driving your car or taking an Uber everywhere.
Use the staircase instead of the escalator whenever you have the chance. You can do squats, jumping jacks, or lunges when you wake up or before you go to bed—anything to get your blood flowing and use your muscles.
Park your car farther from the entrance or building you are going to if you are not in a hurry or do not have assigned parking whenever you go out. This helps you get more movement during the day. You can jog or run on the spot at home when it’s too cold or have no time to go jogging or running outside.
There are so many exercise apps that have ‘sitting’ exercises, office-customed exercises, and even exercises in bed, so there is no excuse not to move or exercise every day or at least three times a week.
Another easy way to begin exercise is by stretching, yoga, or Pilates for beginners. Before you object, Pilates and yoga are not impossible to do or always have a spiritual undertone; you will not be charmed or possessed for doing specific movements any more than saying all forms of dance have spiritual undertones.
Yoga can be done as a simple exercise, and there are many benefits, and it is quite easy to be consistent with. Simply download a clean stretch or Pilates app, a ‘non-spiritual’ yoga app and you are good to go.
Whichever way you choose to move, find a way that works for you that can become a lifestyle, and you will be consistent.
Whenever you feel down, sluggish, or in a bad mood, just stand up and shake yourself—if there’s no one watching, physically shake yourself.
If you can, get a glass of water or a cup of tea, coffee, whatever is available to you that will require you to physically stand up from your seat or move from your position.
Open a window if you can, or step outside to where there is access to sunlight or a simple change of scenery or fresh air.
Even if you don’t feel like it, chat with a co-worker or colleague, do a quick phone call to a friend, if possible, force yourself to laugh, even if nothing is funny.
This is all part of movement, and is a quick fix when you feel anxiety or you are down in a slump during the day.
It may not lift your mood immediately, but it will trick your body- and your mind into believing that everything is okay, reduce your stress levels and keep you away from panic mode and its negative side effects.
Doing little conscious movements – and positive thoughts- frequently will keep you happier and healthier over time; keep your weight from increasing and maybe even help you to reduce those ‘impossible’ kilos or pounds in the waist, stomach and thighs.
It does not have to be hard, heavy or hectic; no matter your fitness level, exercise routine or body type, take out time to move throughout the day, your body, mind and soul will thank you in future.
Please let me know in the comments what ways you will be incorporating movement into your day and how its positively impacting your life. You can reach me on all my social media platforms as Tomi Sule Emmanuel.
