Exercise, Movement & Quality Sleep

“When it comes to your overall health, exercise and sleep are foundational for leading a balanced lifestyle. A study from the National Sleep Foundation reports that people sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day if they get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week. By synchronizing the two, we are better able to enhance our quality of life.” – Holly Severance, Wellness Manager, Shape Family Wellness

Exercise, movement and quality sleep build the foundation for more effectively accessing the Relaxation Response and are critical to our physical as well as psychological well-being.

We are familiar with our doctor’s important suggestions for a consistent exercise routine – 20-30 minutes per session, three to four sessions per week. In addition, research shows that getting this exercise or movement outside, preferably in the morning, in a natural setting such as one of our many magnificent Ottawa County parks, has added health benefits.

Exercise 

Metabolically, exercise clears out cortisol. While adrenaline, with its burst of energy in the heat of the moment, clears more quickly from our system, noradrenaline and cortisol don’t metabolize as quickly and can take a few days to clear from our system, unless we move it out of our bodies through exercise or movement. Additionally, new research shows that quick, brisk physical movement before breakfast, 20 minutes each day, has a more positive effect on our well-being than a workout later in the day. We shed more weight, and don’t exhaust ourselves as easily with a morning exercise or movement practice.

Movement

Building self-awareness allows us to find time, even just a few minutes, to get outside and move our bodies. Numerous studies and scientific research now substantiate what poets, authors and artists of all kinds have known for centuries, that a bit of time in nature does the body, and the mind, a great deal of good.

• According to a recent study, a 15-minute walk in the woods causes measurable changes in physiology, decreasing the stress hormone cortisol by 16%, and lowering both blood pressure and heart rate.
• A 2008 University of Michigan study showed participants’ memory performance, and attention spans, improved by 20 percent after just an hour of interacting with nature.
• Locally, our very own North Ottawa Community Health System family practice physician Dr. Stan Haegert, shared, “I’m always relieved when I learn that a new patient loves and spends time outdoors, because I know that means we’re likely to spend less time together dealing with problems like anxiety, depression, obesity and heart disease.” He adds, “Nature is strong medicine.”
• “The practice of forest bathing, also called forest therapy, involves no bathing and isn’t led by a therapist but a trained, certified guide or guides. In Japan, the practice is decades old and known as shinrin-yoku, which means “taking in the forest.” Among the benefits, say practitioners and some researchers, are relaxation, less stress, connections with nature and, perhaps, insights to take home.” (“Forest Bathing, Nature Time Are Hot Health Advice”)

Exercise and Movement Tips for Families

• Blue Zones “Exercise Snacks” – Article

• Aspen Institute Project Play – Regular physical activity benefits health in many ways, including helping build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints; helping control weight and reduce fat; and preventing or delaying the development of high blood pressure (GAO, 2012). Exercise is one of the least expensive ways to stay healthy, with one study finding that exercise can prevent chronic diseases as effectively as medication (British Journal of Medicine, 2013).

• Prescription Rx Park, How Nature Helps us Heal – Article