Elevate Well-being: Sprinkle Mini-Movement Sessions into Your Daily Routine for Mind-Body Benefits
Curious about exactly what a “mini-movement session” is all about? It’s simple and totally doable (and might even save you hours of agony at the gym or hours of negative self-talk for not getting to the gym).
A “mini-movement session” is a focused time period of 10-15 minutes where you prioritize moving your body to reach optimal results for mental wellness, brain optimization, and physical health.
How exactly does it work to benefit you? Okay, grab your favorite tea/coffee/pre-workout and focus in on the 5 mental health benefits and 2 bonus benefits of adding mini-movement sessions into your life. Get ready to feel informed and excited to move!
5 Awesome Mini-Movement Session Gains for Your Mental Health
Elevate Your Mood; Improve Mental Health: Starting the day anxious and overwhelmed? Notice yourself being negative and cranky most of the time? Exercise has been shown to have a positive impact on mental health by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and boosting mood. Strategically placing mini-movement sessions throughout your day can provide multiple mood-enhancing effects, such as increased endorphin release and stress reduction. It can also give you that extra midday pep and get the oxygen flow to your brain going, which reduces brain fog. Try it out! Ps. If you celebrate every small mini-session of movement as a win, this is sure to also help you have a noticeably better view of yourself because it will leave you each time feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Improve Your Energy AND Productivity: Feeling that midday slump but also trying to kick the caffeine because you’ve noticed it makes you anxious and jittery? Finding it hard to get motivated to complete work or home tasks because you feel like you are in a slump you’re your body feels heavy? Physical activity stimulates the release of endorphins and improves blood flow, leading to increased energy levels and enhanced cognitive function. By placing mini-movement sessions throughout your day, you will experience more sustained energy levels, improved focus (say hello to a happy brain!), and increased productivity. And for an added bonus—Regular exercise has also been linked to better sleep quality, which further contributes to overall energy and well-being.
Alleviate Stress, Help Prevent Panic Attacks & Anger Outbursts: Just had a difficult Zoom meeting and are feeling super stressed out? Noticing yourself getting overstimulated by all the noise at home with the kids? Desperately wanting to find some healthy ways to manage your overwhelm so that you explode less and have a happier life? Totally get it. Because of the way our minds and bodies are connected, stress is not only a mental experience but is also a very real physical experience. So, when you are noticing yourself feeling the heightened stress rising in your body, incorporating a mini-movement/exercise session to release the tension can be a VERY effective strategy for alleviating the stress. Scheduling phone reminders/alarms or blocking time in the day for “movement breaks” can also be a positive preventative plan and can serve as a mental refresh and reset, allowing you to return to tasks at hand with increased clarity.
Enhance Cognitive Functioning (Say Goodbye to Brain Fog) and Say Hello to a Happy, Healthier Brain: Chronically in a state of brain fog? Get ready for some exciting news! Research shows that by incorporating physical activity into your routine, you can experience a multitude of quality improvements. Brace yourself for enhanced memory, sharpened focus and concentration, reduced brain fog, and overall improved cognitive function. That's not all—your brain health will receive a significant boost, which is particularly remarkable if you're recovering from a brain injury or concussion. But here's the best part: by engaging in mini-movement sessions (exercising multiple times throughout the day in shorter spurts), you'll unlock the full potential of these cognitive benefits. How? Physical activity amps up blood flow and oxygen delivery to your brain, amplifying brain function and stimulating the growth of new neurons.
5. Strengthen Your Self-Esteem & Confidence: Do you find it easier to keep commitments to others but struggle when it comes to yourself? This pattern can result in negative self-talk and diminished confidence in your own ability to succeed. The happy news is that by effectively planning and engaging in mini-movement sessions throughout each day, the opportunity for personal achievement and self-reinforcement multiplies. This is such a helpful thing in improving not only your physical health but also in fostering a positive self-image and a healthier relationship with yourself! Get ready to be delighted as your mini-movement sessions turn into daily habits! (Yes, this can happen for YOU in real life!) As you prioritize self-care and fitness, your self-confidence will grow, paving the way for a more positive mindset and increased overall well-being. I am so excited for you to experience all of this goodness!
If you are thinking to yourself that all of these ideas sound great in theory but that, in reality, you are most likely to scroll on and continue to live a sedentary life…please stop for a second! Our habit of negative self-talk can be so strong that it causes us to dismiss the good stuff of life and believe it is just for somebody else (you know, “those lucky people”). You CAN and totally deserve to experience all the good benefits that can be included in daily life. Yes, you!
Here is a Quick Game Plan: Take 5 minutes to look in your calendar for the next week and jot in 2 different times in the day where you can fit in 10-15 minutes of movement. Set a timer on your phone. Text a friend and tell them about your mini-movement plan (and maybe even invite them to join you). Add a daily reminder or write on a sticky note, “Mini-movement sessions help.” Find a few songs to play on Youtube or Spotify as you move…or a podcast you have been dying to take the time to listen to. Okay—waaala! There it is, your first week of planning conquered.
Need more support? I’m here for you too! I offer monthly life coaching memberships where we dive into helping you achieve goals that support your healing, wholeness, and empowerment while increasing your overall resiliency. I would be honored to walk with you on your journey! Find out more (here).
2 Added Bonuses of Adding Mini-Movement Sessions into Your Day
(Both are totally unrelated to mental health but still, have incredible & powerful benefits!)
Bonus #1: Boost Your Metabolic Rate: Frequent mini sessions of body movement/exercise help to give your metabolism a happy boost which then empowers your body to burn more calories without having to spend hours on the elliptical machine. Sounds nice, right? So, how does it do this exactly? Here is the nitty gritty breakdown: When you exercise, your body continues to burn calories even after you finish your workout (especially if you add in some weightlifting). By exercising in small increments (think 10-15 minutes max) multiple times a day, you can keep your metabolic rate elevated for more extended periods, which then turns around and aids in weight management and overall energy expenditure. **Key here—focus on the energy part. Getting stuck in ruminating and obsessing over calories is not a good idea…
Bonus #2: Strengthen Your Heart: Multiple mini sessions of body movement/exercise throughout the day provide additional opportunities to elevate your heart rate and work your cardiovascular system, leading to improved heart health, reduced risk of heart disease, and better blood pressure control. Fun fact—although running is a great source of cardio exercise, it is not the only one. The key is to get your heart rate elevated within the suggested range for a certain length of time (find out more here), and there are SO MANY ways to do this! Just to name a few—cycling, walking, dancing, weight lifting, HIIT, stair stepping, tap dancing, jumping jacks, swimming, etc.
Wishing you a whole lot of happy mini-movement sessions this week,
Alexandra Echelmeier, LCSW, Therapist & Life Coach
Please note: This post is not intended to take the place of therapy or professional medical services or medical advice but is designed only to provide general information.
