Active April: Let’s find ways to get moving and stay healthy.
via: Action for Happiness
We hope everyone had a restorative and relaxing spring break. Action for Happiness has released their April calendar and this month is all about staying active.
Staying active doesn’t mean we need to run marathons, have multiple gym memberships, and complete an IronMan triathlon to take care of our physical wellness (although all of those are wonderful options too!) There are multiple ways we can take care of our bodies – for example – unplugging from technology, getting outside and grounding, making sure we get adequate and restorative sleep, breathing deeply, eating nourishing meals, hydrating before caffeinating, stretching, and…moving our bodies in whatever form best aligns with your needs (aerobic activity).
The counseling team loves a brain hack and physical activity is one of the most evidenced-based ways we can not only take care of our bodies but also our mental health. Despite popular culture telling us “working out releases a rush of endorphins”, there’s not consistent scientific evidence for that and we may have placebo-ed ourselves (not a bad thing). However, research does consistently show that after exercise people experience significantly lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine. Additionally, dopamine’s less known family member norepinephrine is released – which helps the brain deal with stress more efficiently, and assists us with being more resilient (overcoming huge stress surges in the brain) (APA, 2020).
In a world saturated with things we cannot control, we can ALWAYS CHOOSE to take care of our bodies.
Have a wonderful, Active April!
