“We see in order to move, we move in order to see” William Gibson
Recently I have been enjoying the increasingly sunny spring days with a few local walking supervision sessions. Moving while reflecting has become a favourite method for me to explore a tricky situation, or get out of a funk. The value of this makes sense when we explore the reasons why movement helps brain function.
Physical movement such as walking:
- Increases our circulation – bringing more oxygen to our brain, and narrows our attention to the key task being performed.
- Offers a break from learning and concentrating – our brains are designed to learn short bursts of information followed by time to process the information.
- Generates good chemicals – repetitive gross motor movements (such as walking) stimulate Dopamine (neurotransmitter that produces good feelings)
- Gives our bodies a break – from sitting – many of us have largely sedentary jobs, and movement provides a change in posture, reducing muscle fatigue, and eye strain.
- Changes our situation – moving away from our usual work space allows us a chance to change our perspective and see things afresh.
To put Wellbeing in Practice through movement here are some ideas:
- walking meetings
- taking a walk at lunchtime
- walking supervision
- walking when you have a dilemma or need to work something out
- listening to an audio training or TED talk while walking
- pacing while taking a phone call.
Let me know how you are putting movement and reflection into your work day?
Also, if you can spare a few minutes to answer my survey I would really appreciate it.
