How to get motivated, the easy way.

(read time: 1.5 min)

When I woke up this morning, it was like my brain was offline. There was no feeling. No thoughts. No motivation. So I used the only tool of mine that requires no brain power, I walked.

I held my kiddo's hand, walking her to school, and then I just kept going. About an hour later I felt something. A little spark that said, Hey you, there are things to do today, and it ain’t half bad, so get a move on.

I had successfully fought off The Nothing, with little more than putting one foot in front of the other.

YOUR BOOST

When The Nothing threatens to take you down, take back control by walking, or moving yourself in any way that uses both sides of your body.

THE SCIENCE

Bilateral movement (using both sides of your body) is a good thing, but new research on depression shows just how good a thing it is. A 60-minute walk increases all the good-feeling positive vibes (called positive affect) that you naturally associate with a good day.

Bonus, if your walk is in nature, it will also decrease negative thoughts. And for my runners out there, data shows that in only 10 minutes you will massively uptick your feel good hormones associated with pleasure, and activate your prefrontal cortex (think executive function, this is a really good thing as it balances out the emotional part of the brain).

TAKE HOME

When in doubt, walk it out. Move yourself in a way that uses both sides of your body in order to use both sides of your brain and watch the good feelings emerge from what might have otherwise been a really dark day.

No shame, no guilt, just more good days,

Nicole