The Magic of Movement

It’s possible you’ve done lots of this, maybe in the dim and distant past, or that you’ve never really engaged in what might be considered exercise. A Guardian article reported on a survey that indicated that less than half of British women had done any vigorous exercise in the last year.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/25/almost-half-...

I’m just going to put it out there at the start that I believe exercise is something you do for the body, for yourself, even for the mind. It isn’t something you do to the body, it isn’t something you are obligated to do to “burn off” that biscuit, and it isn’t a punishment you inflict upon yourself for being untoned and unfit. The benefits are so multitudinous that you realise “ah, yes, it’s almost like we were designed to move”. At the same time, a lot of our genetic evolutionary programming is around being lazy, so just because moving is incredibly beneficial, it doesn’t mean we are naturally motivated to do it. So, if you feel the pull of the sofa to be very strong, don’t beat yourself up about it, it’s quite natural. But it will be there waiting for you after your brisk walk, and you will enjoy it all the more for it!

People define exercise in different ways, and some reserve the term “activity” for the less strenuous kind of movement. But movement is really the key, whether it’s vigorous exercise that gets you out of breath, slow stretching that releases the muscles, mobility that allows the joints through their full range of movement, steady sustained motion like walking, or resistance training such as weight lifting, or ideally a combination of all of these. They are all important. But you are starting where you are starting from, and Thorny Rose Wellness is designed to give you options to adapt the suggestions to your current capabilities and preferences.

Daniel Lieberman’s book, Exercised, is very interesting on the science of activity, rest and health.

So what does exercise do for us, anyway?! As part of “Finding your why”, knowing about the many benefits movement brings us can be really helpful.

Exercise:

Improves your blood sugar and blood fat control

Is good for the immune system

Improves your digestion

Aids sleep

Boosts mood

Boosts your brain power/strengthens memory/is protective against dementia

Improves your cardiovascular health

Improves your respiratory health

Reduces the risk of many diseases

Strengthens bones and muscles

Improves elasticity of the connective tissues, including the skin

Stimulates autophagy (the repair of cells and the removal of “zombie” cells), so it “slows down ageing”

Improves your ability to do everyday activities

Helps manage weight, and more importantly changes the weight/strength ratio

Improves agility and balance

Reduces inflammation

Decreases stress on the liver

Improves kidney function

Helps with osteo-arthritis

Essentially, pretty much anything you can think of (from a health perspective) if you put “is exercise good for….” into a search engine, it will come back with benefits for that thing!

It’s almost like movement is essential to our physical and mental well- being, as if bodies and minds need movement to function at their most brilliant.

Done mindfully, it can feel marvellous, sensual, meditative. It may take some time, but you might come to really love it, to see it as an essential part of your day, and to truly miss it if you ever do have to miss it.

But where are you now? How do you feel about exercise? Movement? Is it a slog to drag your body through the day or do you feel lithe and slinky?

You might love it, in which case you’re probably not here, you’re probably out training for your latest ultra marathon challenge, possibly with a heavy weight belt strapped to your waist. Perhaps dragging a tractor tyre for good measure. Uphill. Or you might hate it. You could have the gene that makes exercise unenjoyable or borderline painful, or you could be lucky and release endo-cannabinoids when you exercise vigorously enough. If you are very unfit, it’s hard to know whether you could enjoy vigorous exercise or not, as it will just feel awful, leaving you gasping for breath, while you listen to your body scream at you to stop.

In fairness, if you are very unfit, it’s hard to know which category applies to you - because even quite moderate exertion can feel unpleasantly strenuous if you are starting from a base of very little movement in your life. If that’s the case, giving it a go for a few months (gradually increasing the intensity) is a good way to go.

Most people fall somewhere in the middle, and with persistence can move more towards enjoying movement and feeling good afterwards - not in the “it’s nice when it stops” way, but in the “oh, I feel more alive, better oiled, more integrated” kind of way.

If you are on the “I really don’t like exercise” end of the scale, there are a few simple strategies you can employ to incorporate it into your life:

• Find something you dislike the least and do that.

• Reward yourself for doing the exercise. This comes with a caveat. Perhaps counter-intuitively, rewards for behaviour can actually lead to less motivation to do that behaviour. There are many studies that show this to be true. See Alfie Kohn’s Punished by Rewards for a really fascinating read. But if you already know you are unmotivated, this will more likely increase your motivation. It might at least set up a positive association. Obviously, don’t use a jam doughnut as the reward…..

• Remind yourself that you don’t have to love it, you just have to do it. This can help because you could be forgiven for thinking that you should enjoy exercise, since so many other people appear to. But no, you don’t have to love it. Doing it is enough.

• Make exercise a factor of your life, rather than something you specifically do. So, if you can walk or cycle to work, or to the train station, you don’t have to consider how much you do or don’t like cycling or walking, it’s just a means to an end.

• Whilst ensuring that you keep yourself safe from traffic and other people, you can also make walking more interesting by listening to podcasts or audiobooks. Please, please, please don’t have two earbuds in and be clearly fixated on your phone, though. No-one is more attractive to a potential attacker than a switched-off, unaware, oblivious person (my other obsession is Self Protection for Women, Thorny Rose Combatives).

But supposing you are somewhere in the middle of the love it-hate it scale, there is probably still some room for re-framing. Exercise - especially the more vigorous kind - doesn’t always feel amazing in the moment. Sometimes, it feels nicest when it stops. But if you have ever had the sort of injury that really restricts your movement for a long time, or has made you aware of the possibility of losing capacity permanently, you might find yourself more grateful for the ability to move.

This clip here always makes me in awe of what human bodies can do.

I’m not saying that that sort of perfection is realistically within everyone’s grasp, but we can do our own wonderful versions. Dancing in any way that pleases us. Relishing the stretch as we reach for something high up in the cupboard. Recognising the wonderful rhythmic motion of a long walk, feeling the strength as we perform an excellent wall press up. It all counts. It’s all part of the same thing. Celebrating movement and what it means for us as worthy and deserving human beings. It isn’t something we subject ourselves to, as punishment for laziness or gluttony. It’s a gift. To both our present and our future selves. And it’s such a monumental gift because the benefits are extraordinary. Not just a little bit good. But Life Changingly GOOD. So why wouldn’t we?

Think about the number one killer of women, from a disease perspective. Imagine that there was something you could do, that didn’t have to cost any money, just time, that could radically reduce your risk of getting that disease. And not only that, it would massively reduce your risk of getting other nasty illnesses, would give your brain a boost, improve your mood, give you more energy, make you stronger, help you sleep better, improve your immune and metabolic systems, and repair your cells making you look and feel younger. Would you do it? It’s kind of a no-brainer, isn’t it? And of course you know where this is heading. That one thing is exercise. It’s something you can do from the privacy of your own home, on the roads and pavements around where you live, with nothing more than the clothes and (if needed) shoes you already own, and all you have to do is do it.

The Thorny Rose exercises we do are exactly that - simple movements to be done every day, privately or wherever you like. They form the basis, the foundation, of healthy movement. We can then layer on other opportunities to move - walking, cycling, gardening, dancing, yoga, self defence - whatever pleases you. Once that layer has set, so to speak, once we have conditioned our bodies, aligned our muscle fibres, begun to improve the elasticity of our blood vessels, brought fluid to our joints, and more, we will want to add in more challenging activity - more resistance training (weights or body weight) and higher level cardio - so that we are really breathless through exertion, which is what our heart and lungs need. I say “we will want to” because unless you are in that unfortunate minority that finds exercise really quite painful, by the time we get to that stage, you will be feeling well prepared and up for upping it.

And in case you weren’t sure? That number one killer - more than cancers - is cardiovascular diseases.

One of the more surprising benefits of exercise is its ability to boost your brain power, strengthen memory and to protect against dementia. In quite a number of Micheal Mosley’s Just One Thing he mentions how particular exercises do this.

I found this quite surprising. In my day it was always brain vs brawn.

So, how does this work, then?

Well, as usual, through several means:

1. Increased Blood Flow:

- Exercise improves blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the brain. This enhanced circulation supports the growth and maintenance of brain cells.

2. Neurotransmitter Release:

- Physical activity stimulates the release of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which play key roles in mood regulation and cognitive function. We’ve mentioned about the mood boost, but it’s interesting how these neurotransmitters also improve cognitive function.

3. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF):

- This is a big one. Exercise increases the production of BDNF, a protein that supports the growth, survival, and function of neurones. Higher levels of BDNF are associated with improved learning and memory. Brain fog can have many sources, and women in perimenopausal transition are particularly affected, but the more BDNF you have, the better.

4. Neurogenesis:

- Exercise promotes neurogenesis, the formation of new neurones, particularly in the hippocampus, a brain region crucial for learning and memory. Wow. That is kind of cool. As we age, we lose neurones, so to be able to regenerate them through exercise is great.

5. Reduction of Inflammation:

- Chronic inflammation is linked to cognitive decline. Regular exercise can help reduce inflammation in the body, including the brain.

6. Enhanced Synaptic Plasticity:

- Exercise supports synaptic plasticity, the ability of neurones to form new connections and strengthen existing ones. This process is fundamental for learning and memory. New neural pathways are forged when new skills are acquired so if we want to be old dogs learning new tricks…..

7. Improved Sleep:

- Regular physical activity can contribute to better sleep quality, which is essential for memory consolidation and overall cognitive function. I think we might have mentioned the importance of sleep in a few places already so far! See Sleep is the New Sex for details.

8. Stress Reduction:

- Exercise helps reduce stress and the release of stress hormones, which can have detrimental effects on the brain if chronic. We have talked about the role of cortisol in some detail. Chronically raised levels are not good for anyone, but especially women. Anything we can do to keep the levels low is a good thing.

9. Mitochondrial Function:

- Exercise enhances mitochondrial function, promoting the production of energy within brain cells. You probably know that the brain is the biggest consumer of glucose in the body, at rest? Having good means to produce the energy to fuel it is essential.

10. Cognitive Reserve:

- I have to say, I really want one of these. A cognitive reserve. Engaging in regular exercise over time contributes to cognitive reserve, a concept suggesting that a higher level of cognitive function and resilience may be built up, potentially delaying the onset of cognitive decline. Essentially, starting from a better place means ending up at a better place.

Different types of exercise, including aerobic activities, strength training, and even activities like yoga or dancing, have been associated with cognitive benefits. As always, the key is …..consistency. Long-term engagement in regular physical activity seems to yield the most significant cognitive advantages. Any boost to your brain power is probably a welcome result of exercising, right?

Some more good stuff that exercise does for us:

Improves your blood sugar and blood fat control

It does this in several ways;

1. improving insulin sensitivity, allowing cells to more effectively use glucose for energy, thus regulating blood sugar levels. This makes developing type 2 diabetes less likely

2. improves muscle utilisation of glucose. Muscles use glucose during physical activity, helping to regulate blood sugar levels. The effect can last beyond immediate post-exercise period, contributing to better overall blood sugar control.

3. lowers triglycerides - a type of blood fat, elevated levels of which are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases

4. Increases HDL Cholesterol: Exercise can boost high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, often referred to as "good" cholesterol. HDL helps remove low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) from the bloodstream, contributing to better heart health.

5. Reduces LDL Cholesterol: While the impact may vary, regular exercise has been associated with improvements in LDL cholesterol levels. This helps lower the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.

Pretty cool, huh? And there are so many more benefits, as we shall see.

We’ve looked at ways that exercise is good for the brain and for blood fat and blood sugar control. These are biggies, really, because reducing the risk of diabetes and other metabolic illnesses, cardiovascular disease and dementia is a really worthwhile thing to do! Exercise is also good for the immune system generally, contributing to overall immune function and resilience. Who doesn’t want that?

Again, there are a few ways it does that:

1. Enhances Circulation:

- Physical activity promotes better blood circulation, allowing immune cells to move more efficiently throughout the body and reach areas where they are needed. This is also helpful if your circulation is generally poor, and you suffer from cold extremities. Or the person you are sharing a bed with suffers from your cold extremities!

2. Improves Immune Cell Function:

- Regular exercise has been linked to improved function of immune cells, including white blood cells like natural killer cells and macrophages. These cells play a crucial role in defending the body against pathogens. Pathogens include bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

3. Reduces Chronic Inflammation:

- Chronic inflammation is associated with various health issues, including immune system dysfunction. Regular exercise helps reduce chronic inflammation, contributing to a more balanced and responsive immune system. This is crucial because chronic inflammation can often make us feel like not exercising, and of course we have to be careful about aggravating any inflammation-based issues. But over time, it is more beneficial to move than not to move.

4. Promotes Healthy Aging of the Immune System:

- Exercise is thought to help the immune system maintain its functionality over time.

5. Stress Reduction:

- Chronic stress can negatively impact the immune system. Exercise is known to help reduce stress by promoting the release of endorphins, which are hormones that improve mood and well-being. Although we talked about this, didn’t we? Not everyone experiences the release of endorphins. But for those that feel better after a vigorous workout, exercise can be really beneficial for stress reduction.

6. Regulates Inflammatory Responses:

- Exercise helps regulate the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory signals in the body, supporting an optimal immune response. Remember, inflammation isn’t inherently bad. It is, as usual, all about the balance

Have you found that focussing on these benefits has changed your attitude, at all? For me, remembering just how awesome it is to move, on so many levels, helps me remember to keep it front and centre in my life.

This is just a handful of the extraordinary gifts that moving our amazing bodies gives us. We’ll look at more in due course, but I think this is probably as much as anyone can digest in one article!

Got any questions?

Remember you can drop me a line!