Episode 5 – Full Transcript
Michelle: Hey, everyone. My name is Michelle.
Lindsay: And I’m Lindsay. And you’re listening to nurse verse. Hey, guys. In today’s episode, we’re going to be talking about movement.
Michelle: We both assumed or always felt that movement was this physical activity, a sport, strenuous exercise. That’s what was considered movement and that’s what was considered healthy. But as our careers progressed in the nursing world, I think we both realized that it was smaller movements that were really making a massive impact on our health. Movements that we never before would have had considered being like, movement, healthy movement.
Lindsay: Yeah, like walking the dog, for instance. We never thought of that as a healthy thing. It was just a task and something that we have to do. But actually it’s really, it’s a beneficial thing. You’re getting some sun. If there’s sunlight, you’re getting some sort of vitamin D. you’re outside in nature and you’re away from a phone, you’re walking with your dog, you’re actively looking around your surroundings, and you’re observing, and hopefully you’re spending a little less time in your head and you’re enjoying the walk with your dog.
Michelle: You’re being present.
Lindsay: Yeah.
Michelle: Yeah. So, like, just that one tiny little example right there. You could have gone on for an entire episode.
Lindsay: Yeah.
Michelle: I’m like, how much walking your dog actually can do for you if you’re present for it.
Lindsay: And it’s like a whole, like we said in, I think, the last episode, it’s just a perspective shift.
Michelle: Yeah, true, true. Yes. Just like our perspective shift on movement went from us feeling like we had to be very vigorously exercising every day, every other day in order for it to be healthy. But that’s not the case. And just to take a step back for a second, I want to go over kind of a, general overview of how we’ve gotten here as a society. How we’ve gone from being active human beings to inactive human beings and how it’s impacting us and our health. And that is all based around convenience, essentially. We first, were human beings that would walk everywhere, constantly outdoors, constantly in nature. And, now we have moved from that to a life of convenience where we have cars that we sit in, that take us everywhere. we work at a desk that we sit at and don’t move for a very, very long time during the day. then technology that has made things so much easier for us, that you don’t need to do a lot of moving.
Lindsay: You don’t even have to do your own grocery shopping.
Michelle: Yeah. Yeah, somebody else could do it. You don’t even have to go pick up your dinner. It can get delivered.
Lindsay: Yeah, it’s very convenient. But it takes away from our ability to walk and move and break away from whatever we’re doing.
Michelle: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yes. We find ourselves, without even realizing it, going from moving almost every second of every day to sedentary a large portion of the day. And that’s just how our society is functioning right now. It’s not anybody doing anything wrong. It’s just like how we have evolved. And ironically enough, we did all of this to be more convenient and to make our lives better. And in turn, we’ve made ourselves sicker.
Lindsay: In a sense, and we’re working more, walking less.
Michelle: Yeah, yeah.
Lindsay: And using everything that’s convenient to live our daily lives.
Michelle: Yeah. But this, I think we’ve realized the, impact of movement, or lack thereof, on our health and well being, specifically as it pertains to stress and your physical reaction to stress. So, normally, when your body experiences fight or flight response, you have a physiological response that is preparing you to respond to this stressor, to this whatever this danger is. And so the domino effect of that fight or flight response is then, you know, a rush of hormones and, increased heart rate and sweating or whatever it might be, that if normally our bodies are preparing us to run, to fight, to physically respond to that stressor, but because we’re sitting at a desk, we’re not, able, able to physically respond to that stressor, and therefore, that energy is just staying pent up within us. And I love to use the dog analogy because I think it is a good correlation. And I don’t think we’re that much different from how a dog would respond. For, for example, when you have a puppy and they have a ton of energy, and if you don’t exercise them, that energy is going to come out in one form or another. So they’re going to chew up your shoes, destroy your couch, whatever, whatever that entails. They are, they naturally know they need to get that energy out. And so, same thing for us as human beings, naturally, we know we need to get that energy out. Otherwise, it’s going to come out in some form or another. And I think it’s very obvious when people are extremely stressed and they’re not able to get that energy out, they’re not able to utilize, physically that fight or flight response, that energy is gonna come out at some point in time, later in the day, like a.
Lindsay: Spouse, a child, animal, a pet, or like the driver next to you.
Michelle: Exactly. You’re gonna have some outburst of some kind. And, I think we are all guilty of that. We have all experienced that. And we’re like, after, it’s like once you come to, you’re like, I don’t know why I responded like that. Like, I don’t know why I got so angry or so mad or so frustrated or whatever it might be, but if you take a look back in your day or the previous week, it starts to make sense. Like, you have all these stressors, all of these fight or flight response, engaging that you don’t actually get to do anything with. And so, I think this came up for us as nurses because, yes, you’re under a lot of stress, but the good thing is you do get to, like, physically respond to a lot of stress because you’re physically doing something. Like, you’re active, you’re, you know, caring for your patient. But when you’re a nurse, I think when you’re not on the job, you’re, like, just trying to recover so much of the time, so you’re not really engaging a lot of that movement or physical activity that you would normally engage in. That also helps you continue to decompress. And, just for me personally, when I was a kid, I was super active, like, total crackhead and was moving all the time. And I think it was a natural response. I just, I had a lot of energy, and I needed to use it. I needed to move, and that was second nature. And even as a young adult, I was vigorously active. I knew I just needed to move. Like, my energy needed to go somewhere. And so then when I went from being, an athlete and just super active to a nurse, and in nursing school, I went. It was like just a complete 180. I went from just, like, super crazy vigorously active to relatively sedentary, and I didn’t realize how much that negatively impacted my health until later on down the road when I started reincorporating movement into my life and realizing, like, wow, I feel so much better. Like, I just needed to run. I just needed to go play a sport. I just needed to move. I just needed to be outside. Like, I just needed, my body needed that. And then, as you reincorporate things back into your life, you’re like, oh, my gosh, I was doing all of these things before, and that’s why I felt great before. And then I felt like garbage when I was working as a nurse in a hospital. And then you reincorporate it, and you’re like, oh, my gosh. It’s the simple things, like going for walks with monster or I doing yoga.
Find that movement that works best for you. So obviously it’s not a one size fits all
Lindsay: Yeah. And it doesn’t have to be at a studio. It could be in your living room.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: It could be a couple squats here and there while you’re in the lunch room waiting for your microwavable food to be ready.
Michelle: Like, it could be on the floor with your dog or your cat.
Lindsay: Yeah.
Michelle: Or your kid.
Lindsay: It could be walking to the mailbox to get the mail. If you’re like us and your mailbox is half a mile away.
Michelle: Yeah. It could be like reading that stressful email on your laptop and you just need to take a quick five and go, to the water fountain and take a drink of water. Like that.
Lindsay: Yeah. Or if you’re working in a hospital and you’re. You’ve had a crazy moment and you just need to leave for a second and it’s safe to do so just, go to a different floor. Like, ride the, like, take the stairs or ride the elevator down, walk a lap on another unit, come back. I might have done that a few times. A few times in my day.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: Anything you need to, like, decompress real quick, come back and it’s safe to do. So. I would always bring my walkie or whatever.
Michelle: Exactly.
Lindsay: You could always reach me, but I just need to walk it out sometimes.
Michelle: Yeah. And I think finding that movement that works best for you. So obviously it’s not a one size fits all. Like, for me, I prefer the physical, vigorous activity side of things, but I also really much so, like, prioritize those smaller movements, those simple movements. whether it just be like stretching, yoga, laying on the floor with the animals, or, or just going for a walk, our nightly walks after dinner have been a total game changer. And now it’s like, I look forward to them so much.
Lindsay: Yeah. And for such. For being a lot shorter than me, you walk so much faster than I do.
Michelle: I’m used to it. I’m used to, having to keep up with other people.
Lindsay: That’s what that means.
Michelle: Yeah. Yeah. So I think we say all of this just because we feel like we underestimated simple things in our life that actually genuinely made us feel so much better and so much more human. And, we want other people to have that same realization that just because you’re not going to the gym doesn’t make you unhealthy. Like, find that movement that works for you, that makes you feel good.
Lindsay: And if you work long hours and you can’t find any time, like, to move or anything. Like you could get a walking pad.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: For your office like we did.
Michelle: Yeah, absolutely.
Lindsay: And me and, a few of the other girls, we went all in on this walking pad. So we share it and we, we take it out every, like, now and again, and we walk it out and it’s great. And, I also have some baby weights, and I use that sometimes.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: Like, while I’m waiting on hold with a pharmacy, listening to the music and just like, doing a couple of these, like, little, little exercises, like, if you could fit it in a little bit. Anything and everything counts.
Michelle: Yeah. Yeah. You did your lunch breaks?
Lindsay: Oh, yeah. We’ve been walking, we’ve been taking walks outside, and I’ve inspired a few other people in the office to take walks outside as well. But it is the middle of summer and it is very hot. So not last in a summer. We’ve been doing maybe a lap or two in the parking lot, coming back in. Cause it’s real, real hot.
Michelle: Yeah, yeah. It’s like 110 degrees. Yeah.
Lindsay: Sweltering, but, yeah, that’s when we bring out the walking pad instead.
Michelle: Yeah. And I know a lot of the things that we’re mentioning are, like, relatively, whatever, physical activity, but we don’t want to discount anything that might be, more in the, let’s say, even like, just like crocheting. Yeah, crocheting.
Lindsay: You could crochet. It’s anything that you’re doing that’s other than just sitting.
Michelle: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Cleaning your house.
Lindsay: Yeah.
Michelle: I feel like a big part of it is the movement. Whatever you can do that, you can involve your body. Your body gets to be part of the fun, and you’re present gets you to physically be present. So for some people, it might be cleaning their house. Like, maybe some people really enjoy cleaning their house, and they don’t realize that they actually enjoy cleaning their house because they, like, physically are doing something, and it’s physically keeping their brain off of something else. It’s keeping them focused on the task at hand, and not so consumed in their own minds, in their own worries, and recounting everything for the day. It’s like their reprieve. Yeah, it’s a reprieve from all of that.
Lindsay: Yeah. Like, for me, I love cleaning the house when I’m feeling emo.
Michelle: Emotional.
Lindsay: Yeah. When I’m feeling a little bit emotional, because it’s like my time of the month, and I turn on some nineties music, maybe some emo songs, too, and I just, you know, beat up the couch pillows, and it’s great. Like, there’s so many different things that you can do, like biking, walking, skateboarding.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: Pickleball, rollerblading, like bowling, just hitting, hitting any sort of ball. Golf balls. Yeah, yeah, we’ve jungle board. Yeah, I don’t know how to do that, but,
Michelle: Oh, my Gosh. Like, puzzles, even, or board games.
Stretching and mobility are key when you get into your thirties
Like.
Lindsay: Yes.
Michelle: you’re seated, so, like, less movement, but you still. I guess that’s more on the, like, mental decompression side of things, is it’s like, it’s keeping your mind focused, and your. Your hands get to be part of it as you’re, like, putting things, and.
Lindsay: You can get ReALlY AnimATed, like, if you’re really competitive.
Michelle: Yeah. Or if you enjoy arts ANd crafts. Like, oh, my gosh, I love to use my cricket. And, it’s. It’s active in a sense. You know, you’re moving around, you’re CuttInG things, you’re weeding things. You. You get to use your hands, and you’re being creative, and you’re super FOCused on what you’re doing. Like, that is like a great, decompression and, like, reprieve. Yeah, absolutely. Never underestimate a good walk.
Lindsay: Yeah. There’s a lot to be had and said in a good walk.
Michelle: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Walking alone can help you, like, refocus recenter, get the stress out of your body, get that energy out of your body. and think and think. A lot of times, like, I remember in nursing school, I could note, sit and listen in those lectures. I just physically couldn’t do it. I can’t sit for long periods of time just listening to somebody talk. It was so, so difficult. So instead, I would record the lecture, and then I would. When I would go home, I would listen to the lecture while I was working out or going for a run or going for a bike ride. As, long as I am moving, I can totally listen. Or even going for a walk. Like, I I’m engaged when my body can move, but there is something ingrained in me that, like, my body is just like, oh, my God, I want to be part of the fun. Let me out. Let me out. Like, what I’m being told to sit still is just not a. Everything else is, like, shuts down. So, I feel like I do a lot of my best work while I’m working out or a lot of my best thinking or coming up with great ideas, like, while we’re walking or working out or going for a bike ride. and I think a lot of people might find that same moment in something else other than exercise too. Like, maybe people find that momentous of genius, of, like, flow state when they’re painting or when they’re doing yoga.
Lindsay: Or when they’re stacking apples in a pyramidal shape. You know, you never know when greatness occurs. Washing your car, when great ideas hit.
Michelle: Yes.
Lindsay: You don’t know where you’ll be.
Michelle: Yeah, seriously, whatever, whatever it takes for you to be present. And I think when you find that thing, you find that m movement, or even just like, the routine that you really like, it might feel like work in the beginning because you have to incorporate something new or you have to change some type of behavior. But then once you start to do it and you notice how much better you feel after you do it, or even like, while you’re doing it, then you’re gonna crave it and you’re gonna want to do it more and more, and you’re. That’s just like another tool in the tool belt for, you know, being human, I guess.
Lindsay: True. And that could go for a lot of things.
Michelle: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Lindsay: A lot of things.
Michelle: A lot of things. And then also stretching and mobility.
Lindsay: Yeah, stretching is key, especially when you get into your thirties.
Michelle: Yeah, what a, what a game changer, man. Twenties to thirties are just, you go from being so mobile and flexible and to, like, you feel stiff, you, like, genuinely feel stiff, and it’s so strange.
Lindsay: Yeah.
Michelle: So, never underestimate a stretch either. And doing some mobility training and some foam roller, using a massage gun, using magnesium oil, epsom salt bath yoga. Yoga is the best. And also, the mind body connection that you can help reestablish when you’re doing stretching and mobility work. I, think that’s another thing that we ignore a lot in modern medicine and health and wellness in general, is that, when certain things happen to us, like, for example, if you injure a muscle, or a tendon, or ligament, or even a bone, our bodies are so incredibly intelligent that it is going to temporarily turn off that neurological communication between your brain and the nerve that is communicating with that muscle or the muscles around it, because it knows that it’s injured and it doesn’t want to flex that muscle, otherwise it’s going to further aggravate the injury. So that’s why a lot of times, like now, at least in modern medicine, they have gotten on to this a little bit by ensuring people do, some type of rehabilitation training before they go into surgeries, because they are aware of the massive atrophy. That happens, in the muscles around the injury site, but also reestablishing that connection when you come back into your movement and really focusing on it. Like, I still struggle with, even though I’m very well aware of it, I still struggle with it with a lot of things from old injuries that I’ve had from prior sports, but now I’m just more aware of it, and I feel it. And so I’m able to take a pause and give my body what it needs in order to get to that motion, get to that level of mobility. So being in tune with your body is so important just to keep you injury free. And I think the best way to be in tune with your body is to stop, slow down, and really feel into your body. Listen to your body do stretches. What does it feel like? Where do you feel like? Yoga is also an exceptional way of doing this. When you are doing yoga, like, what poses can you manage and what poses can you not manage? Can you breathe through it? Can you gradually release those muscles, or can you actively engage certain muscles? Those are all things that we take for granted because most of the time they happen automatically. But as we get older, we realize that these neurological connections between our muscles are changing. They’re changing because of a lot of things. They’re changing because we spend 8 hours a day at a desk. And so our bodies are adapting to that. They change because we decide to go from sitting for 8 hours at a desk to getting up and then just going for a run without doing any stretching, which I’m totally guilty of. But.
Lindsay: Yeah, I always feel like I’m the most in my body when something hurts.
Michelle: Yeah. Cause you’re aware now.
Lindsay: Yeah.
Michelle: Yeah.
Lindsay: Otherwise, I’m anywhere but in my body. But I am here. But you know what I mean?
Michelle: Yeah. Yeah. Cause when something hurts, it’s, like a red flashing alarm going off in your body. Like, lindsey, hello?
Something is broke here. You need to pay attention so you can fix it
Something is broke here. You need to pay attention so you can fix it. Like, our bodies and our minds are just so incredibly intelligent, and all they’re ever trying to do is protect us and keep us safe. And the more that we can understand how our bodies communicate with us and how our brains communicate with us, the higher the chance that we can get all three of them on the same page and we can all work together like mind, body, and soul here.
Lindsay: That’s the goal.
Michelle: That is the goal. That is the goal. Because I think when all three are on the same page, the human body has incredible capabilities of healing itself so much. Don’t underestimate those little things, those little things you do. Because whether or not you have a busy lifestyle, get creative with it. And I know you’ll find something that’ll fit your needs and suit everybody’s needs.
Lindsay: Yes. Well, thank you guys for listening.
Michelle: Yeah. And look, forward to seeing you on the next one.
Lindsay: Yes. Thanks. Bye.
Michelle: Okay, thanks. Bye.