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We know that now more than ever, there is a growing disconnection between parents and their teens, corporates and their employees, and human interactions in general.
This can cause stress, frustration and many arguments within families and the work environment.
gwunspoken looks at the challenges people of all ages have in their relationships with one another and provides experience and advice, allowing all parties to have a voice.... and feel heard.
Join us to hear corporates, parents, educators, teens and the latest advice of how we can in fact live the life we love, in making authentic interactions, because we know... authentic connection is everything.
gwunspoken
Rediscovering Fitness: The Unexpected Benefits of Everyday Movements
What if your grandma is actually fitter than you? Discover the surprising truth as we unpack the power of incidental movement and why it might just be the secret to a healthier, longer life. We challenge the conventional wisdom that glorifies structured exercise, revealing how simple, everyday actions—like walking, gardening, or taking the stairs—can profoundly impact your health and vitality. By drawing inspiration from blue zone populations and sharing personal stories, we highlight the benefits of integrating more natural movement into your daily routine.
Join us as we inspire you to embrace the power of small, consistent movements and rethink your approach to fitness. Whether you're pacing on a phone call, parking further from your destination, or adding a bit of flair to your household chores, these seemingly mundane activities can transform into joyful opportunities for wellness. We tackle common obstacles like gym dread and hot weather, offering creative ideas to incorporate more movement into your life. So, let’s explore how these small changes can lead to big improvements in both physical and mental well-being, making everyday tasks moments of joy and vitality.
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Welcome to another edition of GW Unspoken, where we discuss stuff we don't typically talk about but probably should. And we're here with Season 7, episode 5, talking about movement. And the title of this episode is why your Grandma Might Be Fitter Than you. Yep, the things we don't typically talk about, but we probably should. And we're going to do that right now, today, and I hope you'll listen to this and getting something from it and I want you to think about.
Speaker 1:Do you remember your grandmother constantly moving around the house, gardening or walking to the corner store? And she somehow had boundless energy? And meanwhile we're here wearing Fitbits to tell us to stand up. The truth is, grandma knew something we forgot Incidental movement, those tiny actions we don't even think of as an exercise, but can make all the difference, that slight edge effect compounded over and over and over. And today we're talking about those unspoken moments of movement, and they're probably the more important than your own gym sessions. So why does this episode matter? Well, I think we've glorified structured exercise Sweat timers, weights, garments, apple Watches but we've probably completely ignored the magic of the small stuff Walking to the mailbox, fidgeting, tidying up. Movement doesn't have to come with a membership fee. In fact, it's probably happening right now while you're listening to this. And here's the problem. I mean, let's get controversial. We've overcomplicated exercise Somewhere along the way. We've decided movement had to involve Lycra hashtags and a post-workout selfie, and meanwhile the people in the so-called blue zones, the places with the longest living populations, don't even have gym memberships. They're just well, they're just moving, they're walking, they're sweeping, they're squatting to pick things up, they're walking upstairs. They're actually part of a community. They have no protein shakes involved. So I think our attitudes need to shift.
Speaker 1:The obsession with formal workouts has made us blind to the power of everyday movement. I mean, how many times have you driven around a parking lot trying to find a spot closer to the entrance? Yep, I see you. We've actually avoided the very thing that keeps us healthy. Incidental movement is exercise underappreciated sibling. It's not glamorous, but it's doing a lot of heavy lifting in the background. Now we've also got this bizarre culture, this belief that movement only counts if it's painful. If you didn't sweat buckets or crawl out of a spin class, it didn't even happen, right? Meanwhile, your dog's tail wagging burns more calories than some of our efforts.
Speaker 1:So what is incidental movement? It's the unsung hero of physical activity, things like walking to the fridge because, yes, snacks require effort taking the stairs or carrying groceries instead of wheeling the cart out like a luggage trolley. It's the movement we do without even thinking. You know there's a lot of research that backs this A massive calorie burn. If you're someone who counts calories, you know studies show that incidental movement can burn as many calories as a structured exercise over time. You know you could vacuum your way to a slimmer waistline if you want and who knew that? You know housework would be a secret weapon. You know you have better mobility. Small movements keeps your joints lubricated and your muscles engaged. No one ever pulled a hamstring bending down to tie their shoes if they've been bending all day. The other thing it's going to do is give you a massive mental health boost. It's not just physical. Moving around releases those feel-good chemicals, even if you're just dancing while you're folding the laundry.
Speaker 1:So how do you embrace this incidental movement? How about number one? Rethink your environment. Design your life to include movement. Take the stairs, don your environment, design your life to include movement. Take the stairs, don't take the elevator.
Speaker 1:I saw an awesome sign once when I was going to university and down the bottom of this escalator. It said 90% of people live longer if they take the stairs. And there was the stairs right beside the escalator and people started taking it. You look at it and if you did a study, 80-85% of people then started using the stairs. All right, so think about your environment. Take the stairs. All right, so think about your environment, take the stairs. Rearrange your living room without calling someone for help.
Speaker 1:Yes, you're allowed to sweat doing that stuff. You know, ditch the shortcuts. If your house has a dishwasher and you're still eating off paper plates, maybe we need to talk. You know washing dishes is still cardio. Over time it's going to actually burn calories while you're moving. You know another one which is really funny is you can try doing fidgeting fitness. You know, tapping your feet, pacing during phone calls. You know twirling your hair may annoy everyone, but guess what? You're still moving. Just do something. Move something that's going to burn calories. Do something that's actually going to make you feel good with those endorphins going through your body.
Speaker 1:You know, I once tried to avoid internal movement altogether for a week, just as an experiment, just to try it. Last week I thought, okay, I'm going to do a podcast about this, let's just try and do it on holidays. Now, being a teacher, I can. By day three, not only was I angry and frustrated, my legs felt like they were made of stone and my step count was as low as my smartwatch ever was, and he was actually asking me you know, hey, are you okay? Anyway, never again, never again. It was hideous. It was so bad. So let's get started.
Speaker 1:So, number one notice your opportunities, make a game of it. Count how many times you can stand up, bend or stretch during the day. You'll be surprised how much you're already moving. Number two how about you turn your chores into challenges? Set a timer to see how fast you can sweep the floor or unload the dishwasher. If you break a few plates, you'll have to ask for forgiveness first. It's not the Olympic level excitement, but hey, movement is movement. How about this? How about to commit to one extra move per hour? So, every hour on the clock, add a stretch, add a short walk, even a dance break or a new routine. It's about doing something, not everything. I want to challenge you about something.
Speaker 1:So I remember one time someone said to me when you walk and do things like you have to walk to the shops or walk to your work or wherever you're going to pick up. The kids say you know, if you walked twice as fast, you'd be twice as efficient, you'd have more time to yourself, you'd actually be healthier because you're actually burning more energy and more carbs and you actually feel better. And I'm like what? And it was just, it was so simple, it was so simple, and then now I do that. You know, sometimes if no one's around looking, I'll actually jog. It might be a 20 a 20 meter walk. I'll actually jog that just to get the endorphins going or just to say I've actually done some kind of exercise. You don't have to be an idiot like me and look stupid, but it actually. It makes a difference. People complain about having no time and complaining have no time for exercise. Just wherever you're walking. Everyone walks every single day. Walk faster, you'll get those two things back you'll get more time and you'll actually get an energy boost. So just remember instant movement doesn't come with a progress tracker or a fancy app so you can skip the Instagram posts. It will make you feel smugly superior when you walk up a flight of stairs without panting, though.
Speaker 1:Now here's some ideas for your journal prompts, and remember writing down journals. It's really important. It actually makes us feel good. It actually gets things done when you actually write down goals. Keith Abraham says that.
Speaker 1:So here's three things I want to challenge you to do. Number one what are three activities in your daily routine? We could add more incidental movement, for example, parking further away, pacing while on the phone or cleaning with extra enthusiasm. Write those three downs. What are they? Number one, two, three rhyme down.
Speaker 1:Number two how do you currently feel about movement in your day-to-day life? Write down one belief or habit you could shift to embrace the value of small actions. Do you dread the gym? Do you dread going to do a run? Do you dread walking the dogs because of effort and it's hot out there and it's humid in summer in Australia. What is something you can do in your day-to-day life where you actually change your belief and go you know what I'm actually going to walk faster today and just see how I feel and put some nice music on.
Speaker 1:And number three what's one creative way you could turn a mundane task like chores, commuting to work or standing in line into an opportunity for movement and for fun? I'd love to write down a lovely perspective on that and, look, thank you for tuning in to another episode of GW Unspoken, where we unpack the unspoken truths about health and life. If this episode made you rethink how you move or gave you an excuse to vacuum with flair, look, please share it with a friend Because, let's be real, the world could use more small, joyful movements. See you next time on GW Unspoken.