WEBVTT - Summer series: A 2-minute trick to fight work fatigue

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<v Speaker 1>Oh hello, welcome to Healthy Ish. You have tuned into

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<v Speaker 1>our summer series. This, of course is your podcast from

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<v Speaker 1>Body and Soul. I'm your host of Felicity Harley.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>To celebrate the hot season, we are dropping our top

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<v Speaker 1>Healthyish episodes in twenty twenty four. This one was a

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<v Speaker 1>good eye because I think all of us at some

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<v Speaker 1>stage feel the three pm slump. Well, a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>us every day. And I was joined back in February

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<v Speaker 1>by workplace wellness expert and ted X speaker Lizzie Williamson.

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<v Speaker 1>She's a certified PT and she's energized thousands of people

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<v Speaker 1>along her well career journey, and she joined us to

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<v Speaker 1>share fun micro moves to boost your work mood and

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<v Speaker 1>increase productivity, particularly valuable in this time of year, don't

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<v Speaker 1>you think anyway, make sure you're listening to Extra Healthy

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<v Speaker 1>Ish as well, where she shares more about the active

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<v Speaker 1>work day advantages. It's a little philosophy that she lives by.

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<v Speaker 1>You can search for Extra Healthy Ish wherever you get

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<v Speaker 1>your podcasts. Lizzie, Welcome to healthy Ish.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 1>I was looking forward to interviewing today because I need

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<v Speaker 1>a bit of energy in my life and I feel

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<v Speaker 1>like you are just bursting with it.

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<v Speaker 2>I've got some tips and hacks for you.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, good to bring it on, But let's talk about

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<v Speaker 1>specifically exercised, because I feel like this is this is

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<v Speaker 1>your sweet spot now. Sometimes, you know, we get to

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<v Speaker 1>the end of the week, we look back and realize

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<v Speaker 1>we've done little or no exercise. We're like, what when

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<v Speaker 1>did I last go to the gym or go for

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<v Speaker 1>a run, or even go for a walk. And then

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<v Speaker 1>the next week comes and I mean, now we all

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<v Speaker 1>know how important exercise is, not just for our physical

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<v Speaker 1>and mental health, how do we fit it in? Why

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<v Speaker 1>do we first thing, why do we find it so

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<v Speaker 1>hard to fit in?

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<v Speaker 2>So many things get in our way. I mean, we

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<v Speaker 2>have got big lies going on. We have got times

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<v Speaker 2>where we feel so fatigued and we just can't find

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<v Speaker 2>that motivation. Sometimes struggling mentally and exercise can be really hard. Then,

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<v Speaker 2>but here's the thing. We have got so many rules

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<v Speaker 2>about what exercise has to look like, that it has

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<v Speaker 2>to be this certain hour or half an hour, it

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<v Speaker 2>has to be at this certain gym class or yoga class.

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<v Speaker 2>We have to be wearing our fancy active Where give

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<v Speaker 2>us these certain results. And so when exercise doesn't fit

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<v Speaker 2>into that box, into the rules that we think it

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<v Speaker 2>has to look like, then what do we do that day? Nothing?

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<v Speaker 2>And so when we are so stuck in that rules

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<v Speaker 2>and that mindset of this exercise has to be this

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<v Speaker 2>separate thing and all of these rules, and if something

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<v Speaker 2>gets in our way of doing it, whether that's time, energy, motivation,

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<v Speaker 2>then it just all feels too hard and we think, Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>well we can't do this exercise thing today.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll do it next week and then next Monday, oh no, no,

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<v Speaker 1>the beginning of next month, oh no, no, next year. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>So we just procrastinate. How specifically can a lack of

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<v Speaker 1>exercise packed our workday.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, we know from research that sitting for long periods

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<v Speaker 2>of time, this prolonged sitting without breaks, can actually take

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<v Speaker 2>years off our life potentially, And the World Health Organization

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<v Speaker 2>has put workplaces at this high priority for breaking up

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<v Speaker 2>long hours of sitting with movement. It's in all our

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<v Speaker 2>government guidelines. It's everywhere we need to sit a bit

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<v Speaker 2>less and move a little bit more. So the impact

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<v Speaker 2>isn't just physical on our longevity, but also when you're

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<v Speaker 2>sitting there at work and your lower backs is really

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<v Speaker 2>kind of aching because you haven't moved for ages, your shoulders,

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<v Speaker 2>your neck, you're tight. That's not really very much fun.

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<v Speaker 2>And then you've also got the mental stuff as well,

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<v Speaker 2>and the mindset and the soul stuff, because when we're

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<v Speaker 2>not physically active, we just don't feel as great. We

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<v Speaker 2>get more lethargic, our body goes into sleep mode, our

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<v Speaker 2>brain doesn't operate in the way that it's designed to do.

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<v Speaker 2>We miss out in a way of all these incredible

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<v Speaker 2>benefits that physical activity give us in our day.

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<v Speaker 1>I love in the beginning that you said it's all

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<v Speaker 1>in the guidelines. It's in the guidelines people, it's there,

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<v Speaker 1>But are we actually doing it? No? So how can we?

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<v Speaker 1>Because often, you know, if you're in an office job specifically,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean a lot of people do stand all day.

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<v Speaker 1>Obviously you know, nurses and doctors and whatever. But if

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<v Speaker 1>you're specifically in an office job and you're sitting all day,

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<v Speaker 1>or you're sitting at home, you get into the flow

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<v Speaker 1>of work, or you think I need to bash this

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<v Speaker 1>out because a deadline is looming. You stress, you forget

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<v Speaker 1>that you should be moving, and then all of a sudden,

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<v Speaker 1>it's three hours and you're still sitting there. How can

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<v Speaker 1>we get how can we interrupt our workflow, our workloads

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<v Speaker 1>and get more movement in you know, those three hours

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<v Speaker 1>that we may be sitting still.

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<v Speaker 2>First of all, it's a mindset that we've got to

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<v Speaker 2>look at how these little things we do, these little

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<v Speaker 2>micro moves, micro breaks, how they actually are really important

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<v Speaker 2>and they really do count. There's this show that I

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<v Speaker 2>can't believe I've gotten into on Netflix called Drive to Survive.

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<v Speaker 2>It's about Formula ones. Have you seen it?

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<v Speaker 1>No?

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, I never thought i'd be into Formula one drivers,

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<v Speaker 2>But when I watch it with my family and I

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<v Speaker 2>see these drivers on the track and they are racing

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<v Speaker 2>to that finish line and every millisecond counts for them,

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<v Speaker 2>high performers, and yet they're called to box. They've got

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<v Speaker 2>to go and take this pit stop because their tires

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<v Speaker 2>are running out or something's happened with their engine or

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<v Speaker 2>their vehicle. And of course I imagine they're on that

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<v Speaker 2>track not wanting to get off. They just want to

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<v Speaker 2>get there, but they know that that is a thing

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<v Speaker 2>that they need to do to get their vehicle back

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<v Speaker 2>in this prime way to get them across that finish line.

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<v Speaker 2>It's the same thing for us. We think that, oh no,

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<v Speaker 2>we can't stop because we've got to get going. We've

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<v Speaker 2>got to keep going. We've got to get this dead undone.

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<v Speaker 2>So we've got some semblance of work life balance. But

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<v Speaker 2>if we were to take these little pit stops and

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<v Speaker 2>take care of our vehicle, which is our bodies and

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<v Speaker 2>our brain and our mood, then we would get to

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<v Speaker 2>that finish line in a much better way.

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<v Speaker 1>Actually, that's a great analogy. I was just I have

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<v Speaker 1>actually been in the pits during the Grand Prix down

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<v Speaker 1>in Melbourne a couple of years ago. I can't even

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<v Speaker 1>remember the driver at the time, but it was quite phenomenal.

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<v Speaker 1>How such a short stop and then all of a

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<v Speaker 1>sudden they're fueled off and I think the I can't

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<v Speaker 1>even it was Lewis Hamilton anyway, someone like that. It

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<v Speaker 1>was phenomenal experience. But that's a perfect analogy for just

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<v Speaker 1>taking that short break. Now you say there's a two

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<v Speaker 1>minute trick that we can do in our workday to

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<v Speaker 1>take that break.

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<v Speaker 2>What is it? Before I had postnatal depression fifteen years ago,

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<v Speaker 2>I always thought that the way that exercise had to

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<v Speaker 2>be and had to count and to make you feel

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<v Speaker 2>good was you know, you really have to get out

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<v Speaker 2>half an hour, an hour whatever. And the problem was,

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<v Speaker 2>at that time I could not get myself to exercise anymore.

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<v Speaker 2>And so what I started doing was just saying to myself,

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<v Speaker 2>just do two minutes. That's all you have to do.

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<v Speaker 2>Here on your kitchen bench, do a few push ups.

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<v Speaker 2>I used to be a dancer, so I do a

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<v Speaker 2>few PLA's And I tell you that two minutes still

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<v Speaker 2>felt really hard, but it really then made me feel

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<v Speaker 2>like I was achieving something. I was doing something for me,

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<v Speaker 2>And so then this ripple effect happened from that taking

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<v Speaker 2>this little two minute then meant that I was feeling

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<v Speaker 2>a bit more late in the day, Okay, maybe I

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<v Speaker 2>want to move again. Sometimes as the months went past,

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<v Speaker 2>that two minutes became more minutes. Just do two minutes

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<v Speaker 2>or less, because two minutes is so much better than

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<v Speaker 2>no minutes, because it helps to build that momentum.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a great quote that just came to me when

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<v Speaker 1>you were talking. It's from as I think it's psychotherapist

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<v Speaker 1>Emma Murray. She has a quote that motion chain into emotion,

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<v Speaker 1>and your two minute trick is that move it changes

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<v Speaker 1>how you feel, how you look. So what are some

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<v Speaker 1>little two minute moves that we can do in our

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<v Speaker 1>day without feeling ridiculous in front of our workmates.

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<v Speaker 2>So so kicked simple. You can keep this really really small,

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<v Speaker 2>and in fact, you can actually do a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>this stuff without even anyone knowing that you are exercising

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<v Speaker 2>or moving at work. So say, for example, you're starting

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<v Speaker 2>to feel a bit tight in your body. You can

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<v Speaker 2>feel it in your back. So imagine you've dropped a

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<v Speaker 2>couple of pens on the ground. Next you just got

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<v Speaker 2>to pick something up, or you got to plug your

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<v Speaker 2>charge in under your desk. You lean over to one side,

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<v Speaker 2>pick it on up, and lean over the other side,

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<v Speaker 2>and that just gets your spine out of that same position.

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<v Speaker 2>You reach up one arm and how great that is. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>if you're listening, you can just reach up the other arm,

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<v Speaker 2>and how good that feels to just stretch out your

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<v Speaker 2>We're reaching, Yes, we start reaching. You can imagine what

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<v Speaker 2>is you're reaching for. Imagine if you are about to

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<v Speaker 2>come on a podcast with the incredible Felicity Hard, you're

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<v Speaker 2>feeling a little bit nervous, or you about have to

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<v Speaker 2>go give a presentation, the way we hold our body

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<v Speaker 2>makes a big difference to the way that we feel.

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<v Speaker 2>And then of course walking is super powerful. If you're there,

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<v Speaker 2>think oh, I can't come up with this idea for

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<v Speaker 2>this email or this project. There's a study by Stanford

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<v Speaker 2>University that says that compared to sitting, walking increases creative

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<v Speaker 2>output by sixty percent, and those creative juices continue to

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<v Speaker 2>flow after you've sat back down. You don't even have

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<v Speaker 2>to go outside. It's all those little moments that may

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<v Speaker 2>not look like exercise as you know it, but they're

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<v Speaker 2>still getting your body physically active. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Amen to the Lizzie, Thank you for coming Unhealthy, Thank you,

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for listening to this interview. As part of

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<v Speaker 1>our twenty twenty four summer series, there are plenty more

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<v Speaker 1>awesome epps for your ears, both from Healthy Ish and

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<v Speaker 1>our big sister podcast Extra healthy Ish. If you did

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<v Speaker 1>like this interview, please take equipment to share it with friend.

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<v Speaker 1>If you do want any other info, head to bodyansoul

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<v Speaker 1>dot com dot you followus on socials. Any feedback please

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<v Speaker 1>dm me at Felicity Harley and until tomorrow, enjoy the

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<v Speaker 1>sun and stay healthy.