Mountains and Motion. It could be Parks and Play. Or Beaches and Body Movement. Or Walks and Wiggle. You get the idea. The point is: go somewhere often that makes you feel good, and move your body. If you do those two things, you’re doing something right with your life and it will pay off in terms of a healthier body and a clearer mind.
Mountains happen to be it for me right now. I’ve lived in the wide open plains of Kansas and near the oceans off Rhode Island; in the sandy desert of southern California and in the cool rainforest of southeastern Alaska. All are beautiful in their own right, but now I have a little homestead in the high Rockies and call these mountains home.
And why Motion, you ask? Well, there is a saying in physical therapy: Motion is lotion. It’s a little cheeky, but it’s so true. Physical locomotion is excellent for bone and joint health, staves off pain, reduces your risk of developing chronic disease, improves overall health, and is a natural mood enhancer.
When you combine the outdoors with motion, positive things happen! Case in point: I used to
be a traveling physical therapist (think “traveling nurse”, only for physical therapy). I had an assignment in Ketchikan, AK. Little did I know prior to arriving that it’s a full-on rain forest there! Sometimes I wouldn’t see the sun shine for days on end. When the torrential rains
persisted for the fourth day in a row, a 15 minute walk decked out in my head-to-toe rain gear felt like all I could do. But I made myself go, and I always felt better after! Walking lifted my mood and got my heart rate up so that everything seemed a little brighter, even the rain itself!
So stay tuned. This is the place to learn how to squeeze in some mindfulness moments while you step outdoors, try a few positions or stretches to reduce pain, or learn new tricks to optimize your function. Welcome to Mountains and Motion!
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