Think back to when you were a kid and movement was instinctive 鈥 and often infused with pure joy.
Maybe it was racing your sister and dad to the front door. Or jumping on the bed with friends during a sleepover. Or playing a team sport. Or riding your bike around the park.
For many, the link between movement and joy was severed and forgotten somewhere along the road to adulthood, displaced by the realities and responsibilities of daily life. Movement might have been transformed into something more obligatory 鈥 we must do it to optimize our health or get in shape. Or it might have become too time-consuming. For some, it might even have become painful due to injury, disease or the passage of time.
But we abandon movement at our own peril and at risk of our well-being. Studies have found that movement 鈥 and its more challenging and intentional cousin, exercise 鈥 is not only beneficial for physical health but is also .
鈥淚 always say that exercise is like an intravenous dose of hope,鈥 psychologist told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on his podcast recently. 鈥And it鈥檚 any form of movement that you鈥檙e willing to do with any part of your body that you can still move.鈥
McGonigal is the author of 鈥淭he Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage.鈥 A group fitness instructor and a lecturer at Stanford University, she has used movement and exercise throughout her life to manage her own anxiety and depression.
McGonigal said exercise allows for the creation and release of 鈥渉ope鈥 molecules, , during muscle contractions 鈥 for example, when we work out or even just move around. Some of these myokines can have antidepressant effects.
鈥淥ur muscles do more than just move our bones around or stabilize our skeleton,鈥 she said. 鈥淥ur muscles are almost like endocrine organs. They manufacture these molecules that they can release into the bloodstream that then travel around and affect all of our organs. And some of them can cross the blood-brain barrier and affect your brain, including your mood and your mental health and your brain health.鈥
Exercise enables you to see your body as an ally, according to McGonigal.
鈥淚 think this is one of the coolest bits of the science of movement and exercise, particularly because of how it allows us to feel like our body is our friend,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our partner, not something we鈥檙e trying to fix or control through movement.鈥
McGonigal said many other brain chemicals get released during exercise that can affect someone鈥檚 state of mind, resulting in, for example, a runner鈥檚 high, a flow state and even euphoria.
鈥淭here鈥檚 actually a lot of different kind of brain states you could experience in movement; it鈥檚 not one 鈥榯hing,鈥欌 she said. You can listen to .
What can you do to tap into joy during exercise and movement? McGonigal has these five tips.
Take your workout on the road
Head out into nature.
鈥淲e know that mindful forms of movement, as well as moving outdoors in nature, tends to put the brain in a state of this heightened awareness to the present moment that feels like vitality and connection to life,鈥 McGonigal said. 鈥淧eople often feel a relief from inner chatter and stress and worrying. 鈥 It鈥檚 changing which systems of the brain are most active and putting you in a state that鈥檚 like meditation.鈥
Pump up the volume
Queue up your favourite playlist and get moving.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e doing a workout where you鈥檙e listening to music you love that鈥檚 high energy, you鈥檙e moving to the beat, and you鈥檙e doing things that really get your heart rate up 鈥 it often is more like euphoria,鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou feel incredible, and you鈥檝e got those endorphins, and that brain chemistry also really helps you feel connected to other people.鈥
Join the group
Being social helps you exercise.
鈥淢ake movement social. We know that people form friendships and communities of support through movement, whether it鈥檚 strength training or running,鈥 McGonigal said.
These days, who couldn鈥檛 use another friend or source of support?
Exercise also helps you be more social.
鈥淧eople who exercise, they report being less lonely, they report having better relationships with others and 鈥 for reasons that range from the biochemical and how the brain chemistry of exercise primes you to be more social 鈥 to be able to connect with others better,鈥 McGonigal said.
鈥淚f you are socially anxious and you exercise, by the end of that workout, you鈥檙e going to be almost like a more extroverted version of yourself.鈥
Get back to basics
Find something you really like doing.
鈥淭hink about positive experiences you鈥檝e had with movement in your life,鈥 McGonigal said. 鈥淢aybe go back to something that you miss or find a new way to do it.鈥
Change your mindset to one of gratitude
While you are moving, find ways to appreciate your body for being able to move, as opposed to monitoring it.
Adopt a 鈥渕indset switch of, 鈥榃ow, body 鈥 that was incredible!鈥 Or 鈥楾hank you, body, for having the energy to let me do this,鈥欌 McGonigal said.
We hope these five tips help you tap into joy through movement. Listen to the full episode . And join us next week on the Chasing Life podcast when Dr. Gabor Maté speaks about how past trauma affects present-day health.
