Terri Ramsey Beavers Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your head was swirling with a million thoughts, and where you found it extremely difficult to come to a decision about a particular topic, or to stop yourself from procrastinating, or to know what the best next step to take would be in a given context?
Well, assuming you have found yourself in this kind of situation — and honestly, who hasn’t? — there’s a good argument to be made that the best path to take may just be to get up and get moving, physically, whether that involves taping belly fat for your next workout and hitting the gym, or whether it means brainstorming ideas while out for a stroll.
Here are some reasons why sometimes it’s best to just get up and move.
Physical activity can help to get you out of your own head
One of the greatest benefits of physical activity is its ability to help to move our attention away from whatever we’ve been obsessing with — or, at least, to limit how much of a hold those things might have on our attention.
It can be tempting, when you’re caught in a spiral of negative thinking, rumination, and worry, to tell yourself that you need to think your way to a solution. In many cases, though, getting more and caught up in the introspective spiral of your own thoughts will only cause you experience less insight, while simultaneously making you more stressed and miserable.
Getting out of your own head from time to time is essential for anyone who wants to safeguard their sense of wellbeing.
Physical activity can achieve this brilliantly.
Physical activity can give you a boost in hope and positivity
Regular physical activity is well known for offering various great health benefits, but more than this alone, physical activity can also give you a dramatic boost in feelings of hope and positivity.
As the psychologist Kelly McGonigal has pointed out in her book “The Joy of Movement,” your muscles will actually release certain molecules that have been nicknamed “hope molecules” whenever you exert yourself physically. These molecules are different from endorphins, and promote feelings of hope and positivity.
Importantly, even relatively mild forms of physical activity like going for a stroll will cause some of these “hope molecules” to be released.
If you’re stuck in a rut, a bit of extra hope and positivity may be just what you need.
Physical activity can help to make you more energised
If you find that you’re feeling more or less exhausted, it would make sense to think that the solution would involve sitting around and relaxing — and sometimes this is true. It’s definitely true that getting more and better sleep is likely a big part of the picture.
In many cases, though, this can be a sign that you need to get up and moving.
Sedentary living naturally contributes to fatigue and to an elevated risk of energy metabolism issues, among other things. But by getting up and moving around, there’s a very good likelihood that you’ll find yourself feeling much more energised after a short while.