playful movement

Play can be so many things. Play can look so many ways. What does play mean to you when you think about playing?
Play has the potential to provide us many benefits including: creativity, productivity, flexibility, optimism, empathy, social altruism, cooperation, problem solving, stress management skills, & MORE!

This list can obviously vary depending on how you play. 

Now let's talk about movement, otherwise and often referred to as fitness, exercise, or working out. I prefer to call it movement. Movement can be so many various forms of motion. Movement can be as simple as walking, we can move our body dynamically through time and space, we can get get down on ground, and stand back up, we can pick things up and put them down, we can throw and catch, we can hang and swing ... honestly, the options to move are endless... and do you know what else is endless? The benefits!!!! That’s right... the list of potential benefits is endless ... AND... varieties of different types of movement help us in different ways. Movement supports the brain, different styles of movement effect the brain differently and in different parts. 

So what happens when we combine movement and play? We playfully move, and we reap the benefits of two in one. 

So many of us, often through chronic illness, pain or injury, learn negative associations with movement. Often our brain creates false associations of what is good or bad and it has a tendency to create fear. Generally after long periods of not being able to move actively due to illness or injury, we find that we need to create new positive associations once again. We can do this in many different ways. 

My favorite way to create positive associations and new neural pathways is through playful movement .... one way to do this is by going all the way back to our very basic developmental movement patterns. Laughing, being silly and doing silly things while moving to teach our brain that movement is playful and safe again. This also has a calming effect because we are laughing, smiling, being silly, playing and developing strength all at the same time. 

Our bodies were literally made to move - when you break down the gait cycle and the anatomy of the human body -it all makes sense - walking and running is literally primal - natural - instinctual - we are built for it... so what better way to build a relationship with movement then through play.

You mean I can workout and play all at once?  YAY!

Play all day... Play play play... move around, crawl, roll & play. 

Virtual playful movement classes coming SOON! 

And be on the lookout for my next blog about my story with fitness and playful movement! From where I was and where I am at today.

#chooselove ​💕