6 Alternatives to Reset Your Mind, Body, and Career after Pandemic Inactivity
Many of us lost our ordinary daily routines during the pandemic restrictions. Along with this loss, some people forfeited their daily exercise regimen and frequency of movement. Findings from a new study recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of extra light activity per day and five minutes of movement each hour throughout the day to mitigate Covid-19 restrictions and inactivity. Here are 6 alternative ways to restart your daily regimen, keep your mind and body active, and keep your career moving.
Exercise. Studies show that exercise is good medicine, not just for limbs and heart, but for the brain as well. One study found that, after 12 months, exercise and movement amped up blood flow to the brain and even helped slow the onset of memory loss and dementia. You can feed your brain the excess blood it needs through aerobics, walking and stretching and toning your body.
Hatha yoga. Research bears out that, when practiced consistently, yoga— a stress-reduction technique that includes controlled breath concentration while gently stretching the body in different poses—brings down your cortisol levels and fosters sleep. The ancient 3,000 year old tradition has been heralded as good medicine for the body. Multiple studies show that yoga helps to regulate blood glucose levels, improve muscle skeletal ailments, moderate the nervous system and regulate the cardiovascular system. The pace is slow and steady, and the poses are easy. Kundalini yoga blends several basics that work directly on physical vitality and increased consciousness: stretching, body poses, controlled breathing, focused attention, mental awareness and the meditative process. Scientific studies show that Kundalini yoga is effective in lowering generalized anxiety disorder and more effective than stress education. This practice draws you away from ruminating thoughts and worries as you move through poses with names like cobra, archer or cat cow that require balance and concentration. After just one session, it’s possible to come away with a quieter mind, lighter feeling, refreshed and clearheaded. Studies show that you get a 65% increase of dopamine squirts with certain types of yoga. In arecent study people with chronic pain reported that hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation relieved their pain levels and raised their mood and functional capacity. The practice has also been reported to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, boost cognitive functioning and raise moods. Breathing and stretching forms of yoga increase GABA (gammaaminobutric acid) levels in the brain by as much as 27%. GABA is associated with reduced depression and anxiety. Studies of army veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder found that yoga drastically reduced their stress levels after practicing it twice a week for 10 weeks.
Mindfulness techniques. Mindfulness is a powerful stress antidote. Studies show the way you pay attention in the present moment directly affects your mind and body, your thoughts and feelings and your interpersonal relationships. Mindfulness harnesses the social circuitry of the brain and enables you to attune to awareness in the present moment. Scientists report that mindfulness slows down your heart rate and brain wave patterns and boosts our immune system and cardiac functioning. With regular meditation, you have less stress, fewer health problems, improved relationships and a longer life.
Tai chi. This ancient practice is a gentle form of exercise in a self-paced series of slow, flowing body movements that require concentration and lead to relaxation of mind and body. Standing, you move constantly, slowly and harmoniously while stretching in a seamless flow from one posture to the next. As with yoga, tai chi holds your attention in the present as you focus on a set of prescribed body movements. Tai chi has been shown to improve the quality of life for people suffering from a wide range of medical conditions, including COPD. A series of studies also show tai chi helps people with COPD improve their respiratory functioning as well as boost their ability to walk and do other types of exercise. The benefits are thought to arise from the combination of movement, breathing and relaxation. The movements safely and gradually strengthen the heart and major muscle groups for anyone. The deep breathing exercises enhance oxygen uptake, which can ease breathlessness, plus the meditative aspect of the practice helps lower stress.
Massage and short relaxation techniques. A new study shows short, easy-to-apply relaxation techniques can activate your body's regenerative system (parasympathetic nervous system or the rest and digest response) for offsetting stress (your sympathetic nervous system or stress response)—offering a new perspective on how we can treat stress-related disease. Researchers observed higher levels of psychological and physiological relaxation in people after only 10 minutes of receiving a massage. Even 10 minutes of simple rest increased relaxation, albeit to a lesser degree than massage. This the first scientific evidence that short-term treatments such as massage can robustly reduce stress on a psychological and physiological level by boosting the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Massage at work also can help improve general feelings of contentment and health. A study on work-site acupressure and seated massage improved overall feelings of well-being among workers. Employees receiving the massage reported feeling an increase in general well-being, less depression and anxiety symptoms, an increased ability to control emotions and fewer sleep disturbances. Overall, the study found that employees receiving massage maintained their job satisfaction whereas those not receiving massage had a decrease in job satisfaction.
Chair Yoga. You can recharge your batteries with yoga right at your desk in the very chair you’re in as long as it has a back. Place your left hand over on your right knee. Place your right arm on the back of the chair. Stretch lightly with eyes open or closed. Notice the stretch and what happens inside. After 60 seconds, bring your body back to center. Then reverse the stretch. Place your right hand over your left knee. Put your left arm on the back of the chair. Stretch lightly again with eyes open or closed. Pay attention to the stretch, and notice what happens inside. After 60 seconds, bring your body back to center. If you want to continue, you can repeat the cycle.
Bryan Robinson Ph.D, is a psychotherapist who writes for Forbes. His latest book is #CHILL from William Morrow.
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