STRETCH & REST CARE for the wellness warrior |
Happy Earth Day! Earth Day is always great time to explore fun new ways to support nature and the planet. Let's start by celebrating some WINS! There is evidence that some animals like butterflies, whales, and gorillas are rebounding. It appears that the effort to restore the ozone layer is on track to make a full recovery. There are over 60 Dark Sky Parks, Communities, & Reserves. Dark Sky recognition requires dedication to preserve the night sky by decreasing harmful effects that artificial light at night has on humans, wildlife and the environment. We are fortunate to be surrounded by several Dark Sky Communities (Bee Cave, Dripping Springs, Wimberly, Horseshoe Bay, and Fredericksburg) and my old neighborhood (Lost Creek). Now let's celebrate Earth Day! 4 Ways To Support Nature & The Planet: 1. Green Exercise: Make it part of your daily routine to spend some time in nature and add exercise- anything from cardio (walks, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, cycling) to relaxation exercises (breathing/stretching, Yoga, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, napping in a hammock) outdoors will give you the health benefits of both exercise and nature. Bonus points if you go explore a National Park sometime soon. 2. Listen to NATURE on Spotify: it helps the Earth receive streaming royalties that go toward conservation efforts. It's no joke. Learn more here. 3. Learn more about the Native Lands you live on: Interactive Global Map. 4. Restore Nature in your area: Plant native pollinators to help the bees & birds. You can find native pollinator plants by state or region here. You can find volunteer opportunities in your area to help restore nature here. You can find more resources and ideas to celebrate Earth Day & support the healing of our Planet on this FIT BLOG. Which one sounds fun to do this week? To Mother Earth! Mollie P.S. Interested in becoming part of Rest Crew #2 for our next round of Rest Camp? Details for SHINE™ are coming soon- join the wait list here. P.P.S. April 22nd is also National Beagle Day! Every Rest Camp sale supports an organization that improves the health & welfare of animals including Beagles. One of our favs to support is Beagle Freedom Project. They rescue and rehome beagles & other animals who have been used for lab testing in the U.S. and abroad. They also work tirelessly to champion laws & legislation to ban the cruel practice of animal testing nationwide.
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It's daylight savings time! Although I do wish we could just leave the time alone, I do prefer more light at the end of the day. It can take a week for our bodies to adjust to the change though. If you struggle with the time change, you can find 2 strategies to help you adjust faster here. There's also something simple you can do each morning to help your day have more ease & flow. I'm not talking about things like: -making your bed -staying off your phone for the first 20 minutes -drinking glass of water -doing a few breathing exercises and stretches -having a meditation practice Those are all great moves to start your day and make part of a morning routine. Slowly warming up over that first 15-30 minutes will help you tap into your intuition and creativity setting you up to have your best ideas and better focus for the day. But first, I want you to try something while you are still in bed. Before you even open your eyes, say to yourself "Today's my BEST day ever!" Set the intention for your day with this simple statement and watch how much smoother your day goes. Rise like the sunrise. Slowly waking up. Start with a positive intention about your day. Train yourself to be mindful of your first thought. Make it a good one. Your body & brain will appreciate the positive vibes. Have a great day! Mollie P.S.EXCITING NEWS- our next round of SHINE™ & opportunity to be a part of Rest Crew #2 is coming up soon- get on the waitlist here. What do you do when you’re feeling stuck in a rut? It doesn’t matter if it’s fear, overwhelm, confusion, or cognitive fatigue holding you back. There is one MOVE that can help you start moving forward again. Move Your Body. It’s the best bang for your buck when you’re stuck. Why? Physical activity is the number one way to manage stress and complete a stress cycle. It’s also going to bathe your brain in BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor). A protein that is essential for the survival of neurons (cells that make up the brain). It protects the brain from ischemic damage (damage from lack of oxygen), degeneration (deterioration) and promotes long term memory. Just 20 minutes of any kind of physical activity can boost BDNF levels and improve learning, energy levels, memory, MOOD, focus, even your creativity. Stop beating yourself up or trying to figure out why you’re stuck. Start moving and your brain & body will know what to do. Although any form of movement works, one of my favorite moves when I’m feeling stuck is to take a walk. POWER MOVE: Make it Interval Walking. Research shows it IMPROVES:
HOW TO INTERVAL WALK*:
MODIFY TIP: If you’re overcoming a lower body injury and aren’t ready for that much walking, then do the same thing on a stationary cycle until you can transition to walking more. FIT TIP: The more you enjoy it, the better it is for you. Add your favorite music and the dopamine will start flowing (your pleasure hormone). Next time you’re feeling stuck, go for a walk. It’ll help your brain & body get back in flow so you can move forward. Your heart will love it too. Get Moving! Mollie P.S. For more on the benefits of Interval Training and some more workout recommendations, check out this FIT Blog: How To Get Stronger in 1 Minute *From the book: The One Minute Workout by Martin Gibala, Ph.D. **For intensity guidance, refer to the Modified Borg RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) Scale from 1 (extremely easy) -10 (extremely hard or max effort). You know that warm, fuzzy feeling that washes over you when you’re in love? That's your LOVE hormone, Oxytocin, in action. It helps encourage us to bond with others. Like a mom & her baby while nursing. Although physical touch is the fastest way to boost your Oxytocin levels, there are some simple moves you can do to get that loving feeling going. Just a 10-20% increase will promote the relaxation response- hello Relaxed Body! Oxytocin increases your mood, empathy, trust, and openness to connect with others. It decreases cortisol, inflammation, the pain threshold, stress, and even withdrawal symptoms. Signs that it’s low include muscle aches, poor sleep, irritability, anxiety, sugar cravings, poor communication, and difficulty achieving orgasm. It definitely has some powerful jobs in the body so let’s get it flowing. 13 Moves To Boost Your Love Hormone, Oxytocin:
Lovingkindness Meditation (say out loud to yourself): May I be happy. May I be safe. May I be free of physical pain and suffering. May I be able to recognize and touch harmony and joy in myself. May I nourish wholesome seeds in myself. May I be healthy, peaceful, and strong. Spread the Love: You can say it for other people you care about as well but only after you’ve said it for yourself first. You can even expand it to strangers or a larger community. When you say it for others, change the word “I” to the name of the person (or group) you would like to say it for. Example: May (name of loved one or group) be happy. May (he/she/they) be safe. OVER TO YOU: Pick one of the Oxytocin Moves above to boost or bring back that loving feeling. See which ones work best for you. You don’t have to be into the hoopla around Valentine’s Day this year, but it's a great reminder to #1 do something that brings you joy and #2 find time to connect with others this week. Ender, Teddie and I will probably do a movie night tonight, but started the week off enjoying that awesome Super Bowl. On Friday, I'm looking forward to a karaoke happy hour I've got planned with some old friends. That'll hit a few moves on the list for me. What about you? Hope you have time to play & have some fun too! Happy Valentine's Day! Mollie P.S. No pet? No problem. Just stare into Teddie's eyes... P.P.S. Want more Relaxed Body Moves to add to your Rest Toolbox? Get started with this 3 minute Active Recovery Workout: Download Now Let’s do a brain energy checkup. You only have so much brain power each day. In the brain injury rehab world, we talk about energy by thinking of the brain as a pie. Your brain controls everything your body and mind are doing. If 50% of your brain’s focus is on pain (i.e. half the pie), then you’ve only got 50% left for every other function. Pain and stress- whether mental, emotional, or physical- can easily leave you with crumbs energy wise as they take up a lot of brain space (or pie). Here are 3 MOVES to help you free up some brain space for more energy & better performance:
Did you notice all these moves are calming by nature? A calm brain is one that creates, performs & learns better. OK your move. Pick one to test & track how much more energy you have each day for work & play. To Better Brain Moves! Mollie P.S. Want 4 more moves to help trigger your rest & relax mode? Check out this FIT Blog. Even though I've worked in health care for over 30 years and know the importance of self-care, I didn't truly become proactive with my own rest "care" until I was introduced to Yoga Nidra in 2018. At the time, I was struggling with the physical, emotional, and mental demands of being the primary caregiver for my father who had a stroke in 2015 that left him with memory and vision issues. He went from living on his own and Commander of the VFW in his retirement to living in an assisted living facility and needing help with everything. I was managing his medical care and life. After his stroke, he had multiple health conditions and cancer diagnoses that had to be addressed. Just when we got one area under control another would pop up. Before his last cancer surgery, we weren't sure if he could get strong enough for surgery or have to go into hospice. For years I'd help patients and families through the similar situations, but when I got on the other side and became the caregiver for the "patient" I experienced a different level of exhaustion and stress. I needed to ramp up my rest care toolbox for sure as my normal coping strategies and mind body practices weren't enough to ride out the waves of his medical crises while juggling a career at the same time. I was at the peak of my caregiver fatigue after helping my dad through 3 cancer surgeries in a year when I was introduced to yoga nidra. That ended up being a turning point in my own self-care journey. It's when I truly started to prioritize rest. It was simple so I could stick with it. I just had to close my eyes and listen to a meditation for 15 minutes. I would get the rest medicine I needed that day. Nothing helped me feel as refreshed, re-energized, and back in balance than those nidra naps. It quickly became a non-negotiable and daily practice for me. Even though my caregiver journey with dad has ended since he passed away last year, I'm passionate about sharing the powerful rest tools I've found over the years with the helpers & healers of the world. They're some of the most high risk groups for exhaustion and burnout. In a culture that values busyness and views rest as lazy, it takes courage and support to prioritize having a Rested Body & Lifestyle. I recorded a podcast with Genevieve Richardson, a Speech Pathologist and owner of Life Speech Pathologies, to share a little bit of my rest story and burnout prevention strategies for caregivers. Genevieve works with and has the Listen For Life Aphasia Podcast for stroke survivors that have aphasia and their families. We discussed Rest and Relaxation Practices to help manage the stress and fatigue associated with caregiving as well as how to set yourself up for success by shifting your mindset around rest, prepping for rest, and building a rest support team. Anyone, not just caregivers, can benefit from the rest tips we shared on this podcast episode (episode 37). The good news is it doesn't take hours and hours of resting or meditating all day to feel more energy, ease, & flow each day. It's all about resets and reps when it comes to calming your nervous system & turning on your bodies healing powers. Listen to the podcast to find which rest move you want to add to your rest toolbox today. Please share with any of the nurturers, caregivers, or stroke survivors in your life. To A Rested Body! Mollie P.S. Want to experience yoga nidra with me? The wait list for our NEW Rest Camp: SHINE™ is open. You know how much I love simple yet powerful moves to help our brain & body perform better. Here are 2 moves to help you reset & have more energy in less than 2 minutes: 1. Brain Reset: Use this breathing exercise (a "physiological sigh") to reduce stress in the moment.
2. Body Reset: Follow the Head To Toe Posture Checklist to turn on your core stabilizers & reset your posture during the day, to prep for workouts, or after sitting long periods. These tiny muscles need reminders and better posture helps light up your brain. This FIT Blog shows you a simple routine to find them. Both of these moves are most powerful when you do them for a few reps each day. Reps help your brain rewire for healthier thoughts & better movement patterns over time. Stress & poor posture won't be as draining on your energy levels. Set an alarm to remind you to practice throughout the day when you're first getting started. Enjoy the energy boost! Mollie P.S. The Waitlist for our NEW Rest Camp: SHINE™ is OPEN. How’s the transition from all the Summer fun going? Transitions like from Season to Season, vacation to work or school, work to being at home, or even as you go from being awake to lying down to sleep each night can be overwhelming. As routines or responsibilities change, it can often trigger Monkey Mind. Monkey Mind is when your mind is full and jumping from thought to thought sometimes leading to an anxiety spiral that you can’t seem to turn off. 3 SIMPLE MOVES TO CALM MONKEY MIND:#3 is a new one I’ve found particularly helpful these past few weeks.
1. Move your Body- do some squats, planks, stairs, stretch, Yoga moves, or take a walk to help you calm your body and brain. 2. Do a Brain Dump- write down everything that is bothering, worrying, or nagging at you then tackle the #1 thing that is most bothersome (i.e. NUTS- Nagging Unfinished Tasks). I break down in detail how to tackle your NUTS in this FIT blog. 3. Mouth Move- this one blows my mind honestly with how effective and simple it is. The hardest part is remembering to use it when you need it. Making it part of your daily practices like breath work or body work will probably be the best way to implement it. Here's how you do it: Relax your jaw so your mouth is like ½ inch open. Not sure if your jaw is relaxed? Say “Emma” and keep the position your mouth ends in at the end of saying that name. This is neutral alignment and a relaxed position for your jaw. Next gently press the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Bring your attention to your mind. What do you notice? Did the chatter stop? Every time I do this, it pauses the inner chatter going on in my brain. That pause can help me reset and get out of anxious thought patterns. So Freakin’ Fascinating- right? Apparently, we use the same muscles and tongue movements for talking when we are just thinking thoughts (or maybe it’s that they are activated) but when you do this position with your jaw and tongue it interrupts that movement pattern- basically like we’re tongue tied- which helps stop the thoughts. As I shared my excitement with Ender over how powerful and simple #3 is, I found out he uses it regularly to help him fall asleep or when meditating. In all fairness, he thought I knew about it. I’m like "What other calming exercises have you not shared with me these past 19 years?" He gave me several more which got him out of the doghouse (for now). I’ll be sharing them with you soon. So go ahead and add the Mouth Move to your insomnia toolbox. I've also heard it can help with TMJ issues. The next time you notice Monkey Mind creeping in, test out these 3 Moves to see which one creates more brain space and helps to calm your mind. To More Peace & Ease! Mollie P.S. Calling all Busy Bodies & Brains... the wait list for our NEW Rest Camp: SHINE™ is open. It's T-I-M-E! We've opened the Waitlist for our NEW Rest Camp. Calling all Busy Bodies & Brains... Anyone on the Waitlist for SHINE™ will be the FIRST to know the details and special offers when we open up camp this Fall. This online camp has my go to Daily Rest Moves & Tools for caregiver or clinician burnout prevention and recovery. They've helped me survive these past few years as the primary caregiver for my dad (and our Senior Dogs) as well as being a healthcare professional during a pandemic. It's the self-care program I wish I had learned about in physical therapy school. If you're a caregiver or health professional that:
Come Rest & Shine with us! Did you get to test out any new sleep moves from last month's FIT Blog? Hope so. Besides staying on top of a healthy sleep routine this summer, I've got some tips to help you stay strong AND rested. If you're traveling, they'll help you prep for your next trip so you can be a well-rested travel warrior. 1. Strong Body- use 1 Minute Workouts to stay on top of your strength training when you're short on time. Super Bands* travel easily so you can exercise on the go. 2. Strong Gut- eat a balanced breakfast, drink green juice or powder to get in your veggies, pack healthy snacks, and stay HYDRATED! 3. Rested Body & Brain- breathe, stretch, and move to calm your body as much as possible especially when traveling to help your body & brain heal itself & get stronger. Find moments during the day to relax with naps, nature, or daydreaming. Use your sleep moves to prep your body and the room before sleep. Download the Healthy Traveler Packing List for more immune boosting nutrition & exercise resources. Stay Summer Strong! Mollie P.S. If you’re a caregiver or a healer that's experienced burnout, we’ve got a special program coming soon designed specifically for you! The wait list opens up soon. *indicates affiliate link |
Mollie Miller, PT
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TERMS OF USE PRIVACY POLICY
Core Power Health & Fitness, Inc. does not provide medical advice. Consult a licensed physician prior to beginning any exercise or nutrition program.
Copyright © 2015 Core Power Health & Fitness Inc.
Core Power Health & Fitness, Inc. does not provide medical advice. Consult a licensed physician prior to beginning any exercise or nutrition program.
Copyright © 2015 Core Power Health & Fitness Inc.