by Jennifer Smith, Registered Nurse, Australia
Working as a nurse, I spend a great deal of time standing and walking during my work day. I could easily say that I would walk 5kms most days as part of my job. I used to think that I was getting plenty of exercise during my day, at work and that would suffice for regular daily exercise. So other than the activity that I would do at work, I did no exercise.
I loved walking, but would only walk if it meant that I was travelling from point A to point B. This worked quite well for me when I use to live in a city and relied on public transport, but once I moved to a country area I needed to use my car all the time. So the ‘incidental exercise’ and walking that I did came to a standstill.
Fitness and exercise as a young adult, was also very goal driven for me. There was an area of work that I was keen to join that required a certain level of fitness. I was very determined to get into this line of work, so I pushed myself very hard so that I could run so far, do so many sit-ups and push-ups, all within in a certain time frame. I can honestly say that I didn’t enjoy any of it and I had a particular dislike for running, but I had to do it. I was determined to get into this job. Once I was in, there was no need for me to continue this style of exercise, so I stopped and did nothing.
It’s interesting to reflect on the beliefs I had around exercise. It had to have a purpose. Walking was to get somewhere and pushing myself to get into this job was me trying to be someone. I had no sense of true enjoyment in any of the physical activity that I was doing. I always had a sense, though that I needed to walk and move my body but I didn’t quite know where to start, so…..I did nothing.
Over the last 2 or so years I have gradually made changes to how I care for myself with my eating patterns, how I rest and sleep. The fact that I did no exercise and hadn’t done any for years was becoming an issue I knew I needed to address. I had an opportunity to attend a gentle exercise class, so I did.
The first thing that surprised me was how my body really felt the workout, even though it was gentle and I was only doing as many repetitions of an exercise as I felt to. So I wasn’t pushing myself. I had no sense that I had to better or improve myself. The next thing I noticed was how enjoyable it was to exercise in this way. So enjoyable, that I’ve kept it up and even returned to the gym.
The thing that surprises me the most and is the most delicious aspect of exercising in this way is how lovely I feel at the gym or while going for a walk. There’s no trying or pushing or improving. It’s all about listening to my body and doing exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel.
The effect on my work as a nurse is amazing. My general fitness levels have increased dramatically. Travelling through a shift, caring for sick patients and dealing with the general running of a ward/hospital have become physically easier. I don’t get so tired.
Recently I noticed I was tired after a morning shift. I’d convinced myself that I was so tired that I could not possibly go for a walk, even though I knew I needed to do something physical. What I realised though, with the assistance of a very wise Universal Medicine Practitioner, is that I had been taking on all of the events, issues and emotions of the day and perhaps what I needed to do was actually walk after work.
I had 7 shifts in a row coming up, the majority of them mornings. The perfect opportunity to do an experiment!
So I took myself for a walk after all of those morning shifts. The moment I started walking, I could really feel in my body what I had taken on. My arms and shoulders especially felt so tight and heavy. As I walked, I had a sense that I was releasing the day that I had taken on. When I got home, I noticed how my energy had re-balanced itself so that I wasn’t drained and had plenty of energy for being at home in the evening. A 7 day in a row stint is usually viewed in nursing with dread. But my experience showed me that with commitment and understanding of how to truly care for my body, I can remain energised and vital, during and after work.
I now realise how important daily exercise and especially walking is for me, but also for the people I nurse and come into contact with during my day. The more I care for me, the more I can care for them.
So it is, with a spring in my step I’m off for a walk.
Inspired by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine.
Medicine and Serge Benhayon 
I have noticed as a Physiotherapist that many people with manual or physical jobs believe that this is enough exercise but actually my own experience has shown me that it is important to have some kind of gentle fitness program outside of work to support the body to do everything it needs to do in the day.
I think it’s really important that we establish that it’s more than physical activity that makes us tired – there’s so many other aspects such as getting drained by emotions, or reactions or expectations. I find that as well as my physical fitness – exercise also helps me also deal with this – the refocusing and recomposing of myself ready to go back out into the world.
Exercise is often associated with pushing the body to its limits, yet there are many benefits from exercising gently in our own rhythm and walking is a great exercise as we can go at our own pace and build the pace up, no need for any special equipment except a decent pair of trainers or walking boots/shoes, and as you have shared exercise can revitalise us especially after a long day.
There is a beautiful healing and confirming quality when we walk in connection to our body and being, and with walking there is always the opportunity for alchemy to take place. To move with the purpose to deepen the quality of our movements allows us to feel and let go of what does not belong so we then we can be moved by the greater truth of who we are.
“I had been taking on all of the events, issues and emotions of the day”. This is so important to understand that by taking on and absorbing things we are going to feel a drop in our vitality, clarity, and wellbeing. Great tip to walk after work or a hectic day to come back to the body and assist us to let go of what’s we may have taken on.
“The more I care for me, the more I can care for them.” These words totally dismantle the long-accepted belief that you put the care of others before your own and are the wisest words for anyone caring for others, from parents, to aged care workers, to medical staff. They are words full of common sense and words that so many of us have unfortunately ignored for way too long and in doing so have not only harmed ourselves, in the process we have been offering a much lesser quality of care to those we are caring for.
After a sickleave of several month due to a broken wrist and a frozen shoulder I am back in nursing in a nursing home and I feel how my body needs a rebuild of my fitness level with exercises and walking. So I have made the commitment to gentle exercise everyday and go to the swimmingpool every week. And yes this supports me not only on a physical level but also setting new standards having this loving discipline in all area’s of my life. And I will definitely give walking a go after my shift with at least 5km meter registration.
I find that sometimes when I am tired physically exercise is actually the best thing for me – it’s very revitalising and I always feel more energised after.
So true Jennifer, walking therapies as presented by Serge Benhayon has revolutionised how our body feels and the natural level of fitness that is assured by walking connected to our essences is remarkable.
I agree with you Greg. Walking therapy is a life changing modality as just with our body movements we are able of reconfiguring our energetic alignment and with that, everything we feel and express during the day. Very simple but deeply transforming.
The True things in life are simple so we can live in the wisdom of a Lovingly-simplistic-approach to life from a True Livingness then The Wisdom of the Universes is opened and abundant.
It is so true that the more we care for ourselves the more we are able to care for others and for me caring for myself definitely includes gentle non-goal oriented exercise which has completely transformed how I experience exercise and how much more supportive I find it.
Exercising gently with the body has very fast results as the body isn’t having to spend time recovering after being thrashed around at the gym. It responds far more to gentleness than abuse.
I love how self-care comes in to walking, the simplest most basic form of movement.
This is an amazing example of how commitment to work and commitment to ourselves comes from how much love we afford for ourselves.
Yes Fumiyo, the more I commit to one area in my life and work is an important one to start with. My commitment to myself grows and it definitely has all to do with how much I love me but also acknowledging how much I love people.
I just recently signed up at the gym again and it was amazing how much my body had missed it. I took it steady and made it all about exercising my body and enjoying it. Completely opposite to how I used to exercise… trying to make my body better.
When I walk to be with me and my body it feels very different from when I walk to ‘do exercise’ and to ‘get fit’.
I have recently started going swimming and to the gym for the first time in my life, not to lose weight or tone up (I don’t even know what that means) but to be fit to do my new job where it will be more physical in a different way from my previous job. Basing my exercise around supporting me in other areas of life and only working out for as long as my body says so, not pushing it, feels amazing.
When we exercise from how our body feels, we start to build a very different relationship up between our body and exercise, when it’s all about getting fit we often have an image of what we think we should look like, yet when we let go of expectations and pictures we are able to let our body take the lead and exercise how the body wants us too, a great reminder never to override what the body tells us.
I definitely had a belief if it didn’t hurt it wasn’t doing me good which is crazy and always meant that I never sustained any exercise I tried despite knowing my body felt better for exercise. It was only when I started to become more generally self-caring that this extended into the way I exercised and not only did my body love it but I enjoyed it which was an added bonus!
A beautiful realisation when we realise that taking care of ourselves has to come first before we are able to look after others we realise the responsibility we have both to ourselves and the rest of humanity.
Something as simple as this is something we just avoid. On every flight we are reminded to put our oxygen mask on first, what if we applied that principle to life?
Rereading this has re-inspired me as I go to volunteer on a ward today – when I often walk a mile or so on my shift. I have said to myself, I don’t need to take myself for another walk today, but maybe I do!
What I’m learning is that it’s not just about what you do in work, but how you apply yourself to life after work, and whether you can maintain the same level of application and commitment to all the other moments in life, and that begins to build a different kind of fitness, perhaps you could call it a fitness of focus.
I love walking it has become part of my daily medicine, I work shift work as well and the walking has increased my energy levels and supports me to wind down after working any long shift hours.
Exercise is amazing – I sit 10-15 hours a day at a computer but walk for 50 minutes and do weights for 10 minutes and my health is great. This seems to be what I need given my lifestyle.
Having a routine based around the other areas of our life is so beneficial. I don’t need to be fit enough to be able to run a marathon if I walk less than a few miles in my day. Having that balance makes a lot of sense.
And with so many people becoming so deskbound and computer orientated in their jobs, articles like this, and this awareness, is absolutely essential to prevent humanity turning into one big blancmange
This has been very helpful to read as I have just started caring for the elderly on the weekends and have found the early morning till nine at night quite full on, even though I have the opportunity for a nap or a rest halfway through the day, I still feel drained the next day.
Yes, a lot depends on how we are during the day. There are work environments that are draining but often we can work in a way that is just as effective but leaves us with a lot of energy in the evening – tired, yes, but not necessarily drained.
Today is the shortest day of the year so one might think that our walking time is limited which is true to a certain extent. For me there is very little time when it is light before going to work and coming home it is always already dark. Recently I have been choosing to walk a little at lunch time which i find refreshing and revitalising and sometimes I have a short walk at night appreciating and communicating with the stars. I find this also very supportive.
Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing about walking when feeling tired after morning shifts. That is very inspiring and I would like to try that. I walk every morning for the first half of the way to work and get on a bus for the rest of the journey; but after work, I am so tired I just get on a bus and at times even fall asleep on my way home.
A big shift came for me when I began listening to the call to exercise coming from my body. I no longer exercise because I think I should or because I want thinner thighs, I exercise because my body tells me it wants to move in a certain way. I either go for a walk, do some gentle stretching or in the summer go to the local pool and if I honour what my body has communicated, I’m left feeling divine (and not worn out or tired like I used to be after pushing myself to exercise).
I have come to realise that when I go for a walk with me, not to go from a to b, but just to connect more deeply to myself I get to feel really revived, and less tired than when I started.
Fitness is important for the wellbeing of a nurse… not only exercise fitness for cardiovascular health, but there has to be an emotional and mental fitness that supports the nurse to work in a busy, demanding often emotionally charged environment. Emotional and mental fitness involves knowing oneself, knowing when to take a moment to reconnect to their body and feel the quality of themselves, as this is moment to recharge, to self care, so not to drain their body at the expense of caring for others. Emotional fitness is also exercising and practising the ability to not gossip, talk about others, bad mouth, judge, compare or quiet whisper conversations in a corner as this activity is draining for all and drags down the integrity of a healing environment, where patients are recuperating.
Jennifer, this is very helpful. Thank you.
I’ve been finding the same, I’ve recently bought a simple treadmill and been using it at home daily and it makes a huge difference, and I’m doing simple walking nothing fast and I can feel a new solidness in me, in my body which really supports me in my days. What I feel in what you’ve discussed here is exercise when approached as a way to just be with and feel our bodies is deeply healing.
Yes, that is true. These simple exercises work.
‘It’s interesting to reflect on the beliefs I had around exercise.’ For me, from very young, exercise has always been associated with others or myself wanting to look a certain way, usually to lose weight, and I hated it. Today I appreciate it and might even go so far to say I enjoy my (mostly) daily 30-minute gym visit. Like you Jennifer, I can feel how it supports me in my day and with my health. And I like the way it feels. It’s not to say the old thoughts don’t creep in from time to time, but I don’t take them on anymore.
I had an incredibly physical job for a year where I got very fit and toned. That was over 7 years ago now and for a good majority of those 7 years I cruised along thinking that my level of fitness then was going to carry me through life without having to support myself in any other way! Needless to say I have now got honest with myself and am taking steps to reconnect to my lovely body, gently strengthening and stretching myself to become fit for life.
There’s something very special about exercising simply to feel the loveliness of ourselves.
Very cool, I carried a belief that because my job is so active and physical that I already “do exercise” with how much I walk in a shift but when I cut the rubbish and was more truthful with myself although my little story sounded good in my head, I knew something had to give and my body was crying out for a different type of exercise. So I took the plunge and signed up for my very first ever gym member ship, I went this morning and I feel great, look forward to my own little program and I will be clocking the difference for sure.
The more you can care for you then the more you can care for your patients is an incredibly important concept to embrace. So many tick boxes with regards to the requirements of their positions, but to truly offer a healing from a body that reflects true care for self is a blessing beyond measure inspiring others in what is possible to live.
I have been really appreciating my walks the last few days and the ease with which my body moves and the joy I feel moving with me in nature. A complete contrast to how I used to exercise and how punishing it was for my body. I have recently committed to a regular Connective Tissue exercise programme which complements my daily walks beautifully and has supported me during a particularly busy period at work.
Whenever we push ourselves we are listening and following something such as a belief, picture, expectation etc., which is not coming from our body but from something that is outside of ourselves. We are disconnected to self, everything and everyone and this way of being keeps us stuck in our ways, deepening the separation to each other in the world. Walking with purpose to connect to the body supports our wellbeing, feeling vital committing to life supporting us to take care of ourselves and the wellbeing of others.
In exercising and walking regularly I can feel the support this gives to my body and my essence. As I support my body more, it feels lighter and clearer, this in turn allows for my essence to be felt, honored and lived. Gentle exercise and walking should never be underestimated, committing to both has changed my life.
This is gorgeously shared Jennifer, highlighting for me how our movements magnify whatever quality we are choosing. And so, in choosing to be in connection to ourselves, our movements then are a confirmation of who we are, reflecting what is not true in order for us to magnify more of who we are through our body. At the end of the day it is this quality that feels natural and vital in our bodies.
Thank you Jennifer, there are still beliefs I hold about exercise that puts me off a more steady commitment, as well as the way I used to exercise which was really self critical and not loving – to have a certain body shape etc and with no true consideration to the body. This is a great line about maintaining vitality for life and work and that it can be done “with commitment and understanding of how to truly care for my body”.
Jennifer, you’ve got me thinking. I finish a day at work, often looking forward to going home, once I get there I am straight in the kitchen preparing my dinner. I give myself no moments to stop nor do I allow myself to process the day and feel whether I have taken stuff on or not. The concept of going for even a short walk after work to feel where I’m at sounds brilliant and something that I will consider.
Jennifer thank you for sharing your experience, I have found going for a walk very supportive myself as it allows me space to reconnect back to myself, and at the same time it rejuvenates me at the same time.
Jennifer I agree it is easy to justify not to walk, putting it off for another time! When I get started, I truly enjoy the experience. I love walking in the early morning but sometimes I will tell myself that my day will be full enough not to walk. If I make the effort, I reap much reward in doing so, usually in the form of the magic of God. Beautiful birds or a rainbow, a lovely smile and more.
It is interesting how we define purpose. I used to define ‘it’s got to have a purpose’ being very goal orientated and something in the future but this meaning of the word purpose no longer sits with me. I am pondering with ‘what if the true meaning of purpose was actually presence?’ How I am with myself, the quality with which I am expressing and being present with my body? This defines a whole and new meaning of the word purpose.
I’ve experimented with taking extra care of myself when I know I have a few intense days coming up. And I can safely say that the difference in myself was huge. The way I was able to deal with the intensity, and how I was overall was very different to how I had been in other similar times. My lesson from that is to maintain the care 24/7, building a consistent way of being which will support me every day and especially on those unexpected days of high stress.
Re-reading your blog is a great reminder to re-start with gentle exercising. My body gives me very clear signals, as in being tired and low in vitality. After I have moved house, getting a job in a nursing home I did not pick up exercising again and I know my body loves the support and the care of this gentle movements and attention.
Walking to feel and let go of the tension held in the body is a beautiful free prescription for us all.
Beautifully said Mary. This in fact highlights that to a certain degree, we are all practitioners of medicine.
Thank you Jennifer, this is a great experiment you did and I like what you found out. It shows that it isn’t complicated to look after ourselves and that it can be found in a simple walk. No money spent but much gained.
Now that it’s getting lighter in the mornings here in the UK, I have restarted doing a 20 minute morning walk before I go to work. It is something I am really enjoying and I can see how beginning my day like this supports me to deal with the rest of the day.
There is nothing like being outside, in nature and walking, feeling our feet in relation to the ground and our body in relation to all around us. There is magic everywhere if we choose to feel and see it and a daily walk can reconnect us back to that magic. It can bring us back in touch with ourselves and make us feel whole again. Surrendering to the body as we walk deepens this process and brings us more confidence in life.
There is a true purpose in exercise that works hand in hand in delivering true purpose in our workplace. I too work in a field where there is a lot of moving and levels of fitness are required to maintain the pace in order to manage the tasks of the day. When I choose not to make the commitment to exercise regularly I can feel how this does not support me in the day and brings in more movements that are disjointed or unnecessary complications. A simple 10 minute walk is still an opportunity to bring it all back to purpose.
So true in my 20 years of experience as a Physiotherapist that people are turned off exercise very often because of the way it is taught and presented. When you introduce people to gentle exercise that is truly supportive of their body and their being and does not impose or push their bodies, as I do in my clinical practice, they enjoy it way more and engage with it much more.They actually really want to do it because they can feel how supportive it is.
Awesome. In the last few days I have had a run of late nights and my body has been left feeling headachey and exhausted. In reading this I realise I have let go of my daily walks too, justifying the amount I have walked in the day as I go about my work as being enough. I shall start to bring walks back in my daily round, as well as more quality stop moments and rest. I think I am too busy for this sometimes and it won’t matter if I miss a few walks and stop moments and rest but if I do this all at the same time I have taken away the very support that I have been building for myself and everything suffers.
There is a way to move by which we attune ourselves in and with the greater movements of the Universe. This is way simpler than it perhaps sounds, and requires us to simply move in full and conscious presence with both our mind and our body in accordance with each other as opposed to how we normally move which is the head racing a-head (!) and the body being dragged along behind. By moving in this way, with our body and mind working together, we are thus able to restore the harmony to both our body and the being we at some stage took leave of when we moved out of rhythm to this.
Going for a walk can very revealing and a great marker as to where I am at. Often walking can show me the raciness I have been living in and as I feel it, it begins to clear and I am left walking at a pace where I am with my body and not running in the momentum that is driving from my head. So not only is walking great exercise but I can vouch too that walking is a great way to clear energy which I have taken on.
There is a quiet intelligence in recognising the link between vitality at work and our fitness levels. For it makes sense whatever job you are in that having a strong body will make the day easier to manage. Perhaps the reason so many don’t apply this intelligence is because we have created a belief through experience that exercise is hard, unpleasant and not an enjoyable experience. This is where we can all re-define our relationships with exercise, making building strength in the body a gradual, easy and enjoyable activity that we actually look forward to. This sharing by Jennifer shows the rewards of doing so.
The reference to it making sense to have a strong body to manage your job is so true Stephen G. In many cases people are working longer hours and in jobs where there is either huge or moderate levels of movement. We all fall into various levels with our job but the core ingredient here is the vitality. This is the responsibility and commitment to build a body that can support us throughout the day so that we are bringing our best and feeling the best. A great benefit for all.
life is about energy as everything is energy and when we see exercise in this light then we notice that it is not only about the physical exercise but much more to build an energetic fitness in which we make the space to be able to concern that energies that do not belong to our body and to let go these more easily.
So many people walk, but how many walk as Jennifer shares here, in connection and present with our body, prepared to feel how it feels, and let it be, to release any of the day’s tension?
I see so many walking with the only connection happening being to the headphones that are plugged into their ears. Can it be possible that walking this way doesn’t allow us to feel our bodies, and so not feel the strain and stress of the way we may be walking, for example fast and pounding, and in fact is causing our joints great harm? Can it be that the necessity of many to not be present and still in the body is the greatest harm to humanity?
So true Leigh – it is exhausting to move in disconnection to ourselves. However the opposite is also true in the sense that it can be completely revitalising to move in connection with ourselves and the all we are a part of. Our every movement has the propensity to either heal or harm. This includes the movement of inertia!
Its easy to drop the exercise in my routine when things get busy, but I am realising this is when I need it the most, because it supports my body to cope with the extra work load and not get exhausted. Going for a walk sounds like a great thing to do at the end of a working day. I may try it as an experiment for January and see how it goes.
‘too tired for a walk or going to the gym’ is something I can go into now and then but always when I choose to go against this ‘giving up’ feeling in myself and go for a walk or go to the gym my body feels supported and re energised, warm and lovely because of the gentle way I am treating it.
Nothing beats a walk. A walk allows us to become naturally self reflective, so is great for a daily update on our relationship with ourselves.
I love how you have a commitment for yourself and your body, the benefits are huge, ‘with commitment and understanding of how to truly care for my body, I can remain energised and vital, during and after work.’
it’s lovely to read how someone working in a caring profession is so vigilant and detailed with caring for themselves… all that I can say is…. lucky patients to have Jenny looking after them.
The simple things in life such as exercise and healthy diet make such a big difference to the quality of life we experience
A very enlightening and inspiring blog on exercise Jennifer and both my head and my body agree and acknowledge the truth of what you share.
I am currently part of a very gentle exercise group and am amazed at how my body is growing in strength and my natural balance restored and I too feel that spring in my step that supports me throughout the day.
Lovely to read of someone going to work with a spring in their step, and without one iota of caffeine in their system.
Yes Chris, what a powerful reflection for others to be inspired by.
“There’s no trying, pushing or improving.” This is a key factor for us in choosing healthy movements.
On the days that I work in a shop i can easily be on my feet for eight hours or so with only a short break for lunch. I do what I can to sit now and again but this does not last long, maybe a minute or so.I often don’t feel like going for a walk when I get home but I have built it into my day and have been having minimum twenty minutes good walk every day. and often thirty to forty minutes and occasionally more. I love these walks , they are a time when I can really come back to my body big time and feel my connection with the beautiful natural world in and around me.
I now understand more clearly why I get so tired at work – I’m taking on other people’s stuff. It’s easy to start going into ideas that there’s something wrong, when in truth it’s simply about trying to be all things for all people before being me for me.
That is really interesting, there are so many times when I just feel too tired to walk at the end of my day, perhaps I should take myself on a walk each day just to see if it makes a difference in that situation. It would turn on its head the thought of only walking when you feel good.
I exercise at home without a care for needing to lift heavy weights or portray a certain image as a man, but is has been a while since I have stepped in a gym and I wonder if the presence of other people would make me feel pressured to put on a front. Yet it is so true that the fitness we need is related to how we live our life and can support the job we do as Jennifer has found, so there would be no reason for me to exercise beyond my ability, and actually to not do so would be more likely to create a healthy and well developed body.
“It’s all about listening to my body and doing exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel.” Staying present with ourselves in whatever we do – be it walking or anything else – feels so important.
A great reminder to always be walking ourselves with awareness of our body and not ours or others’ problems.
Thank you for sharing this Jennifer. Often we can think that when we’re tired after a long day that the best thing to do is sit and rest but often this just further cements into our bodies whatever it is that we’ve taken on. A great lesson in how the way and when we move affects how we feel.
“It’s all about listening to my body and doing exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel.” Spot on. My movements slow down or speed up, all to support my connection to my body.
It’s true Jennifer, I used to be a bit of a gym junkie mainly to look good but it never ever made me feel good. That has changed to the way I exercise now. I have the most simple exercise routine and I look and feel the best I have ever felt. My reps too are as many as I can do, constantly checking into my muscles and my connection to my whole body. The weight is not heavy and I do all with dumb bells or pushing my own weight. So simple but I am consistent with it because the support it offers me in my body is beyond words. Gentle exercise compared to smashing yourself is the world of difference in how you feel about yourself.
It is amazing how we can reconfigure the relationship we have with exercise. I too used to exercise with a need to get something out of it – ie i’d walk from one point to another or even do cardio sessions with the objective to look a certain way, I had lots of ideals and beliefs around exercise and what it was for. But now I understand the true purpose – how it can support the body and there does not need to be an end goal – it is a constant commitment we have within ourselves.
I work in hospitality and have also carried the belief that I already walk enough in a work day. I find it super inspiring that you have integrated exercise into your life, as I am still struggling to fit it in regularly.
To have a nurse go off to work with ‘a spring in her step’ is, considering the work-load of nurses now, an amazing break-through
Jennifer this conclusion is brilliant and so true: “The more I care for me, the more I can care for them.”
Such a simple, practical and healthy tip to exercise everyday by walking.
I have found that when I do this after a morning’s shift I release the stress of work that I have taken on; a weight is lifted off my shoulders; my mind is clearer and my body feels more energised and spacious.
Walking every day has become part of my life and it makes a huge difference. On the rare occasions when I don’t walk my body really does miss it. There are so many simple things that we can do in our day to support our health and wellbeing and walking is one of those.
Walking is such a support, lately I felt to activate my walk, it had become a heavy slow walk instead of vitalising my body. The effect on my body and my day is huge. I can feel my strength and the joy that is in me, a joy that makes a spring in my step. And it is still gentle but firm as my body likes to walk, to work and to rest when it is time.
I find it really supportive to give myself the space to go for a walk even if it’s just for 10mins, so that I can use the time to connect with my body and myself and let go of any tension that’s come up or just enjoy moving my body and stretching out. It leaves a great momentum to carry through into the rest of the day.
Walking is a wonderful way to check in with the body and feel what is going on. Does it still feel light after a days work, how do my legs feel, does my body feel heavy these are all indications and reflections of the day we have had. Even when we are tired walking can be a great way to revitalise us and bring a joy back in our step.
A great sharing Jennifer. To walk after a day of work at first sound like your are pushing your body when it needs a rest but from what you have observed this is not the case and on giving it some thought I can see how it would tend to relax you and allow the day to gently fall away. At the same time as clearing the mind and focussing back on yourself!
Dear Jennifer, reading your article clearly shows that the activity we do at our work and doing gentle exercise and walking to support our bodies are two very different activities. Gentle exercise and walking are activities that are needed if we want to feel energised in our lives, no matter how difficult and tiring our day has been and to be able to have the energy to do the things we actually want to do, but often put off because we are too tired. I wonder if there was a public experiment created where by people sign up to commit to exercising gently and walking daily, how much their health and well being would change in a 12 month period?
Having an underlying tension and feeling of being ‘driven’ is lurking in so many people… it is an extraordinary feeling to identify and let go of this, and to feel how much energy it took … what a relief to let go.
I have a physical job and I find by going to the gym and walking, this helps enormously with vitality.
I find that walking without an agenda just for me to feel where I am can be one of the most supportive things to help me stop any business I have gone into and the great thing is I can do it anywhere.
I love walking and can walk as far as I want to until I feel that I have to and then walking is hard. Funny hey? When we have joyful movements they flow and have an easy energy, when we bring that other energy in… Have to, need to…it’s heavy and unnatural. It’s a great experiment.
Beautiful piece Jennifer, it is true walking you is actually very beneficial and for sure very healthy to do after and or before work. It has supported me heaps. To take the time to walk and let go and or also to appreciate myself on that day. Thank you Serge Benhayon, as I know you have inspired me and supported me to re-connect to myself and so I am aware that I love and need to do exercise in order to do what I need to do (work, sleep, walk, talk, etc.).
It’s very inspiring to read how walking after your shift gives you more energy, as often when I get in from work all I want to do is sit down – especially if I have been out and about a lot during the day. But I do feel the benefit of walking for me as supposed to actually needing to get to somewhere.
I used to have the same approach to exercise – it had to have purpose (which at varying times was to get fit, lose weight etc) and generally had to involve working up a sweat (otherwise I felt I / it wasn’t doing anything). And even when I used to feel sick after a long hard run, I never associated this with the fact that perhaps I was pushing my body harder than I needed to or that was necessary!
In the last few years I have learnt to exercise in a much more gentle way and much more in tune to honouring how my body actually feels, and it feels so different – both the activity of the exercise (I love walking!) and how my body feels during and after.
Great blog Jennifer- I too have been choosing to do exercise in a gentle fashion according to what my body feels. It feels more energised, and there is a building of a strength that I can feel without the need for pushing weights.
Yes Loretta, the beautiful thing is that every body needs other excercise depending on where it is at and what it needs to do on a daily basis. Therefore there is no right or wrong, simply to feel what our body needs truly by feeling into it , not by ideals of our mind. This can be at times quite challenging, but it is truly amazing how big effect it has once we listen to what our body needs.. No thought can beat that!
I agree it can feel great to lift a weight and feel the muscles work but not tip the balance and push, struggle and strain to lift a weight or do an exercise. There is a balance in the body, and there is no one exercise formula to suit everyone or even ourselves from day to day other than to exercise in connection with our bodies. Our bodies love it when we use our muscles but just like we can easily under exercise so too can we deplete and tax ourselves if we push.
Thank you Jennifer I really loved your blog, often there are times when I feel tired and choose not to walk because of that, but I have decided to go on my walk even if I feel tired and gradually let go of my day and come home refreshed.
I am the same Jill. Regardless of my day I always cherish the time I have to go for a walk and even if it may only be for 15 minutes I know that it is a super important part of my day.
It is peculiar that something like going for a walk and gentle exercise can feel so great yet it is not always prioritised to fit into the day and can even feel like something we have to do rather than want to do. Once we start to move though often the body and being sing ‘thank you’.
Oh you re-inspire me to walk when I am tired! I can convince myself that I am way too tired to walk yet what you share is what I have experienced. That when I have walked after a particularly long day I have always without fail had an honest conversation with myself about how my body has felt. To that end I have then had an equally important moment as I decided to do anything about it or not. I can see how this level of care for ourselves is easily transferred to our work. Life becomes one, not compartmentalised.
Me too Lucy! I feel re-inspired to walk when I am telling myself I am too tired and even for a few minutes at the end of the day – it does not have to be a fast walk, long walk or done for exercise. Walking can be so healing and connecting, I also find it makes me more honest about where my body is at, noticing where I am holding tension, what I have taken on and also how powerfully healing it is to walk and be with this.
So true Deanne. If we want to create space for ourselves to walk and reconnect then there is always time, if we want to make time for ourselves to walk then there is no space. It is an interesting distinction which took some time for me to understand but one that always comes up for me when I look back on why I didn’t walk.
I have really enjoyed reacquainting myself with exercise through Universal Medicine. What is revolutionary about all the different forms of exercise introduced, including walking, is it is all about reconnecting to my body, letting go of anything that is not supportive and confirming the joy felt when being with me, and from that connection relating to the world around me. It is truly life changing!
Yes, very true. I had exercised so much in my life, but always to achieve a result with ever changing goalposts of bettering myself. Through Universal Medicine my relationship with exercise has changed because it is about connecting with me. I have done that with gym work, walking, even skiing. My body does not do anything without me there and that way I know my limit. Before connecting to exercise in this way, that idea of doing a sport without me in it wouldn’t have occurred to me.
I love this line “The more I care for me, the more I can care for them.” What a simple tool we can apply to everything we do, regardless of our profession or where we work!
In the end ‘the more I care for me, the more I care for them’ is the measure of the quality we bring to everything we do for we cannot be for someone else what we are not being for ourselves. A true marker!
It is the basis of any wellbeing for any community.
Jennifer, what I loved was the honesty you brought to yourself and your body about the things that you had taken on in your day at work and how simple it is to move in a way that supports this ‘holding on energy’ to shift and clear; supporting you to walk ‘you’ once again uninterrupted and not imposed upon by anything else. The fact is that we as nurses have chosen a role in the medical profession where we see everything that goes on and from the microcosm of a situation that reflects the larger scale occurrences in our entire world. We love humanity, that’s pretty obvious, but without valuing what we bring to them and the bodies we use to do so, we are left in the heaviness that isn’t us and certainly doesn’t belong to us either.
Love the spring in your step since this learning, super inspirational!
True Cherise – a pressing question I’ve heard recently is: ‘What body am I bringing to the doctor?’ This is so relevant, especially for those who work within medicine. By truly caring for ourselves, a nurse can show how medicine is magic and very supportive, but it is nothing without the marriage of how we care for ourselves.
What you share about your walk Jennifer I do recognise as well. To have a walk after a full day’s work shows me where I am by the way my body can move or is restricted to move. The simple act of going for a walk immediately presents this to me and I have noticed that when I acknowledge these tensions during my walk for what they are, and to not accept that these are part of me, I can let go of these and release them from my body, that then becomes free to walk who I am and to express freely.
I love how you explain that you don’t need to judge or be disappointed by feeling tensions in the body after a day at work.
Its simply about just acknowledging it and choosing to let it go.
How simple is that!
I love that Felicity, life is in fact very simple as described in the following “As a baby does not worry when it falls down, so too should we embrace the same innocence that once allowed us to fall, get back up and have another go.” (from the Men’s Group Guidelines)
and from my experience of Jennifer Smith, not only would she be bringing all of herself to her work, but everyone who was fortunate enough to come into contact with her would be blessed by her loveliness and radiance.
I can very much relate to your surprise that doing such gentle exercise is effective. It’s amazing to see that the harsh way we used to think exercise had to be, isn’t actually necessary. I am learning and discovering so much about how I used to approach life, and I am so glad I am learning that gentleness is extremely powerful. Exercise is now a way I can love and connect to my body even more, instead of punishing it.
Yes I was definitely brought up in the camp of ‘no pain no gain’ so with gentle exercise always was looking for that ‘can’t move’ exhaustion afterwards and still, if I’m honest, need reassurance that I’m doing enough, when I’m disconnected with my body. Perhaps the teller is that after gentle exercise and listening to my body, I feel more vital and present.
What a great way to sum it up in terms of its impact- that’s exactly it, you feel far more vitalised and well after exercising in a way that is supportive and respectful of the body. ‘Results’ still occur too. I wish I knew years ago that being gentle to the body was just as effective.
Karin I feel the same. When I push myself that bit more each time I can feel the results in how I am for the remainder of the day and this doesn’t always come with vitality.
I too have only recently returned to the gym after a period of absence after I became aware of the drive I had to achieve something in being there. Walking has been a major part in me developing a feeling for the effects of my choices in my body and so I have been able to begin to bring consideration to the way I exercise.
I’ve been slightly inspired – I recall many times at the end of a training session doubled over, as red as a beetroot thinking: Why?? This turned me off exercise for ever it seemed like and having pretty physical work, I used to use and to be honest still do use it, as a scape goat out of doing any extra physical activity, which has actually turned out to bite me on the butt a few times… The exercise is really so supportive – why wouldn’t we want that?
I became aware that although I go for a walk after a morning shift I first sit down and I have a meal and most of the time I decide to do some computer work before going to walk. What I feel after reading your blog is that I have to become more honest and that my body is communicating to go for a walk first so that is what I will do when I come home this afternoon. Thank you Jennifer you are an amazing inspiration by making life so simple and true and taking caring to another level.
It’s great how you found that even though you were doing a gentle exercise class and weren’t driving your body in a hard way you still felt like you were getting a work out and actually felt better for it rather than sore or drained.
Jen, it can’t be easy pulling an all nighter – and so it is a testament to the great work presented by Serge Benhayon and the Ageless Wisdom. When I am feeling down my body so needs to move. I walk gently or sometimes quickly and wow the difference is amazing as the burdens of the World fall away.
Exercising every day feels great in the body – even 5mins push-ups, then going for a quick walk around the block, over the years, it will make such a difference when we keep it as a rhythm.
Walking is such a joyful way to connect to me and the world around me … I seem to appreciate so much more when I am committed to this daily practise. Like you say Jen, it then carries on to becomes a part of your rhythm throughout the day which changes everything.
Ditto Jen…I too used to think all the walking I did at work was enough exercise but it was only exercise of a certain kind – short distances and very stop and start. I have been exercising more regularly and also taken to going to the gym again after many years away from it. The difference I feel in doing even every day tasks at home as well as at work is significant, and has inspired me to keep going with regular exercise. You have also inspired me with your 7 day experiment – I have 6 days in a row coming up and will develop my own experiment!
Thank you Jennifer for a lovely article, I am inspired to become more consistent with my daily walking , which sometimes, when I put it off till the afternoon it somehow gets lost.
Great sharing Ben. In today’s society the media depicts a great body as being one that is rippled with exposed muscles. I often wonder how that supports the body and how practical this level of exercise is in a day to keep us moving with balanced lives and harmony.
“The more I care for me, the more I can care for them”……this is so important and through the teachings of Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon I have begun to realise how important this truly is. It is not lip-service, it is not a throw away line – it is something that should be embraced and embedded in so many service organisations where burn-out – of putting others before ourselves – is a real issue. It is time to really care for ourselves because only then can we truly care for others. I recently saw a photo of an obese doctor advising patients on their health and I was like -how can the patient truly take in and listen to what is being presented when the doctor is most likely not living it themselves. And this can be applied to many situations – and some of my own if I am honest as well.
Sarah I agree the line above is indeed a powerful one of integrity and consistency. Only through living this and walking it can we inspire true change to care for ourselves.
Exercise has a great effect on our well-being. My experience with walking especially has brought to my attention that there is so much to feel in my body, and that it always is a possibility to return to my body.
Jennifer; I have commonly heard and related to exercise as a goal. Needing to achieve something, be it better abs, overall fitness, speed and agility, endurance or plain weight loss. In every exercise ‘program’ there has always been an end goal. I stuck to and followed plenty of these for many years, mainly to feel better about myself.
As you share here; there is a lot of drive that comes with exercise and at the same time, a lot of resentment to it being a chore, painful, a struggle. But apparently the end result is worth the struggle. Or is it.
I absolutely love your new found relationship with exercise. It makes so much sense and as I have been building my relationship with my body, I am much more sensitive to exercising in a way that truly supports me rather than a mental game plan.
I love what you have shared Jennifer and I can definitely felt the “spring in your step” as I read. And I can relate to so much of what you wrote, especially, living in the country and needing to drive, and no footpaths to go walking on either. I have just finished a full time, very sedentary job, and after two years of inactivity I wasn’t used to, I can see so clearly how it has impacted on my fitness levels, even though I would often walk at lunchtime for 20 -25 minutes, weather dependent of course. But like you as soon as I began walking I could feel all that had built up in my body during the morning. Those first few steps were a great indicator of how consciously present I had been while working, and if it had been a very full on morning it would take a little longer to return to the natural rhythm of my body’s way of walking, but I would always return to the office refreshed, re-energised and ready for whatever the afternoon would bring.
This has been my experience as well, counting the incidental activity as exercise when I needed to be doing something more dedicated and much more gentle to really support my body.
I love that your experiment proved to you the power of walking and connecting to your body and allowing it to show you what you had taken on. It is beautiful to be able to then release that and not take it home with you or onto your next shift. Walking is such a simple act but the deep care and healing it provides is stunning.
You last sentence says it all Jennifer. ‘The more I care for me, the more I can care for them’. How simple and profound when I stop to absorb this truth.
Jen it’s said of many activities that involve caring for other people who need you is that you must ‘save yourself first’, or you can’t be of benefit to anyone. Examples are first aid, fires, car crashes, sea rescue, etc. And you’ve shown that it equally applies to nursing. When you ‘nurse’ yourself, take total care of your body, you are at your best bringing the whole of you to others who need you. Awesome!
It’s easy to think that if our job entails lots of physical exercise that we don’t need to do any outside of it! However I’ve found walking and some exercises like you Jennifer to be really supportive. It helps me be fitter for work and enjoy the work more and helps me let go of stress too.
That is what I have found too Fiona. The exercise I receive from walking is the bonus in my eyes, as walking is very therapeutic if we approach it like that. It is a wonderful way to prepare for a full days work or to support us after a days work.
As an ex-nurse and health visitor I can relate to feeling tired after walking for what seemed like miles on the wards. Your experiment has inspired me to look at how I try to justify the fact that ‘I walked x much today’, so don’t need to walk again. Something to ponder on – and make new choices. Thankyou Jennifer.
Thanks for sharing this Jennifer. I have had a similar experience with exercise. Previously I had exercised hard and for a purpose – to run faster, lift heavier weights and get bigger and stronger etc. I have come to see how this actually stresses my body rather than supports it. Over the last couple of years I have taken a different approach and have felt how doing exercise can support my body. I now do light weights and don’t even count the repetitions I do or try to increase the weight, but stop when I feel that my body has exercised enough. This form of exercise feels less taxing on my body and actually supportive for my body. I feel like I have a greater ease and consistency with my body and that I have the strength and foundation in my body to easily complete all the things I need to do in my day. If I am too busy and don’t get to exercise for several days in a row, I can feel this in my body and it feels less supported and more of a stretch to go through my day. I love my new relationship with exercise.
That was a great experiment Jen and the awareness received of all the things during our day that we take on and then take home with us. It can be very subtle when we take things on, but the after effects for us and those around us are never subtle. This was a very inspiring blog for me, thank you.
I like you Jen, have a job/s where I am on my feet all day and moving between different locations and I think/thought that that was enough physical activity for me. I now realise more than just the good health of my physical being I need to walk everyday for my psychological well-being – either to build confidence in me to carry me through my day or to let go of what I have absorbed throughout the day.
I am realising a new way of exercising and it is taking some time to let go of the old way, a way of having to achieve a certain distance otherwise it was not worth it. I love what you have shared about going for a walk at the end of your shift. I have always tried to get the exercise done at the beginning of the day to get it over and done with and have not really considered doing it like this before.
Your blog Jennifer and many of the comments are so supportive and inspirational. I have become very aware that the exhaustion I feel most days after work is a direct result of the ‘stuff’ I’ve taken on throughout the day – whether that be emotions of others, expectations from myself and others, trying to be super-woman – whatever it may be. I have also become very aware that the way I know that will support me is to exercise regularly. I love to walk and live close to the river, so it’s a joy to go for a walk which I do regularly but not consistently. Consistency is the key I feel, and Vanessa’s comment above about committing to exercising daily has also inspired me to get off my butt and do some gentle star-jumps without any push or drive whatsoever! 😉
What a fabulous experiment to experience! Everyone needs to see for themselves what exercise can really do for them when it’s done in a self-loving way. During breaks from my job in air traffic control, I have discovered the best thing for me to do is take a 20 min walk outside, instead of lying on a couch in front of the tv as is very common. This way I can clear my head, stretch my body out, get some perspective of the big picture, and check out what the weather is doing (it helps if I am pre-warned there is bad weather approaching!). I am always invigorated and centred after it, ready to plug back in and deal with what’s coming next for me.
It’s amazing how just a simple walk and connecting to yourself can benefit your job. Walking that gives you energy after a long day needs to be shared.
I’ve just started to experiment with this idea this week Ben and have noticed a difference in how I eat and sleep. The walk after work makes me unwind with more ease at the end of the day.
I have found too that sometimes I will be feeling tired but when I head for a walk I will have a lot more energy afterwards and feel loads better… It’s getting over that first initial hurdle before the walk starts.
Jen like you I have noticed how exercise is such an important part of bringing more quality to my work and not feeling so drained at the end of the day. A simple walk makes a huge difference in minutes and any tensions or hardness in my body are released with each step I take.
There are a lot of aspects of exercise covered in this blog, I can relate to the driven way of exercising that you described as being your previous way, I used to be very driven in the exercise I did and would carry a lot of exhaustion in my body from this, what I have noticed recently is that when I am tired a walk is exactly what I need to rejuvenate me, even if my mind is trying to resist this and convince me I am too tired.
I recognize what you wrote here, Vicky. The actual things that makes us feel more vital we stop doing because we don’t make the time. Great experiment Jen did with her daily exercise, showing us exactly the opposite is what our body needs to what we give it often.
It is very easy to think that when we are really busy, like have to do the 7 shifts in a row, that the exercise will have to wait until there is more time again. And yet here Jennifer has completely challenged that way of thinking, so much so that the result was that she felt more energized. This is a huge shift in how we can look at exercise.
Space opens up for us when we allow ourselves to choose what is truly going to support us. It is amazing how the tasks or seemingly challenging events or lists become possible and enjoyable. No stress!
I agree Vicky, it is a massive shift. What can support this view of exercise is also the intensity we perceive exercise should be at, Jennifer did not do her nursing shift and decide to go for a run or pump it out with a light jog on the treadmill, she walked and paid attention to how she felt and what was going on in her body. How we approach exercise when already tired can make the difference between depleting or replenishing ourselves.
This is truly inspirational. I too practise nursing and can feel at times where I come home feeling tired and or heavy in my body…almost dragging myself into my home. I have been trying to work things out with my head, but when feeling what you have written here, I should try walking! As you also shared with us: ”As I walked, I had a sense that I was releasing the day that I had taken on”.. I am opening myself up for this too. I am looking forward experimenting my whole week with an after work walk!
Yes me too Danna, for me it is also being more aware of where and what I take on things in my day. I have always enjoyed walking and that sense of ‘letting go’ and returning to the fluidity and connection to me in my body. Yes, I am feeling the pull to do more exercise, but I can also feel a bit of a drive there – to change my body shape. I feel it will be about committing to doing gentle and loving exercise, and letting go of this lack of self-worth issue – and connecting back to what my body truly feels to do.
It is beautiful that you express that Arianne, as every person has their own rhythm in how they need to move, exercise and fitness. Like you shared. I love that doing gentle exercise and lovingly so, and by letting go of any hardness that I have collected in my body. It is actually a beautiful way (walking) to rejuvinate and to release any body aches!
I have recently really committed to exercising every day, and the difference it has made to my body and my overall feelings of confidence in myself is amazing. I have been inspired by your blog before about walking in the evening and have not acted on it, so feel it’s another reminder of how I can support myself and my family with a walk like you describe.
I have felt the same way too Vanessa. Making the commitment this past year to include exercise as a part of my day has helped me support my well being when complications may arise. The support the body provides to help work through this is quite phenomenal.
I love how you took yourself for a walk after each morning shift and the difference it made in your well-being. This is scientific proof for me. We have been brought up with the belief that when we are tired and had a long day we need to rest, sleep, put our legs up, basically going into an activity that has little to no movement in it but your experience shows that it is more a matter of shifting the energy in our bodies, letting go as you describe, of all the tension that we have taken on.
This shows that the best science we have access to is that of our own bodies, what we can learn from ourselves and with the commitment and willingness to discover is profound and beyond measure when we really go for it.
‘The thing that surprises me the most and is the most delicious aspect of exercising in this way is how lovely I feel at the gym or while going for a walk.’ How simple Jennifer Smith, to just allow ourselves to feel delicious and accept our natural state of being whilst looking after our body! Wow I’m feeling how complicated I can make my life when I step away from this knowing. Thank you!
I really love how you describe doing your exercises Jennifer. My body opens up and wants to join😊
Yes, to just allow ourselves to enjoy being with us and our bodies can take practice at first, but once we experience it (us!) there is just no other more delicious way to exercise. I have always found it fascinating that exercise can often be the first thing on our list to be cancelled or not have the time for, and yet movement is one of the most valuable tools we have in reconnecting ourselves to clarity and truth in life and letting go of all that we have taken on that is not at all us.
Evolving or allowing ourselves to develop out of being driven in anything is great… Whether it is exercise, the way we work, the way we drive, and particularly our expression as well. Noticing any of these patterns is a great start to coming back to our true gentle nature… And also we will probably get a lot more done ☺
Well said cjames.
Starting to take notice of patterns of behavior is a really great thing to undertake and bring into our lives. With the help of Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon, I have been able to make so many changes in my life that have had a profound effect on my health and my well being.
So true cjames2012. What Jennifer has shared is applicable not only to exercise but anywhere and everywhere in life where we are forcing ourselves to do or get through. Since I have been more aware of this I am definitely getting more done.
How lovely Jennifer to find a new relationship with exercise that is truly fulfilling and not driven by a need. I too have been finding the true value of exercise that is done to support my body rather than my mind set goals.
Paradoxically true Jennifer, when I have taken stuff on and become tired and drained as a result I have often thought that I needed to rest – but that has not helped at all, because in fact what my body was actually asking for was walking or gentle exercise to re-energise and become aware of and release the tensions and ill-energy taken into my body. I have also found that walking at the beginning of the day sets my body up to be more vital and alive, so that I am far more aware of energy, emotions and dramas that don’t belong to me and am able to not take them on in the first place.
Amazing to think that walking after our shift can help energise us and let go of the day we have lived. I also liked how you wrote about going for a walk, but with no reason other than going for a walk. That’s an awesome way to enjoy ourselves and far beats watching tv.
Great timing to read your blog Jennifer, I have had a busy day followed by a meeting where I could feel I had taken on some of the issues that came up, so even though I feel tired your blog has inspired me to go for a 10 minute walk before bed as I feel this will help me sleep.
Thanks for your blog Jen. It backs up what I’ve found and that is that exercising to move the body gently in a way that it’s asking me to do is an antidote to tiredness and fatigue and is a wonderful way to support the body as opposed to exercising to be fitter and leaner, etc. which can lead ultimately to illness and exhaustion. I love your 7 day experiment!
Thank you Jen, this is such a great blog and I especially love your experiment you did for the 7day in a row shiftwork making a point to walk after each shift. This is a very important aspect as the impact of this understanding of exercise and releasing tension and connection we develop with our body, I’m sure would have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of people in their workplace. Certainly an overall positive influence for public health.
I live in a city and walk a lot, and my work is physical, so I can really relate to not allocating specific time for exercise, but thinking that I was doing enough exercise in my day. From your sharing, I realise there’s another level of care and nurturing that is available by connecting more deeply with my body, and how you describe your walk after your 7 day shift feels amazing and I am very much inspired. Thank you, Jennifer.
Great blog Jenny. I especially noted your comments about taking a walk after work and noticing how much I may have taken on other people’s issues and dramas during the day. Certainly worth me doing some experimentation!
Yes Ariana! So much of the way we exercise (as in humans in general) appears to be image driven. We may have an image of how we want our body to look, or what ‘fitness’ looks like (i.e. with toned abs or buttocks), but is this what our body truly needs? Our bodies as you say need to be nurtured if they are going to live well into their 80s or 90s, and this is a responsibility for us all. If we all walk around with ‘crashed out’ bodies then it impacts everyone else – through the health system and costs associated for one. So much is to be gained from greater awareness of our bodies and what it is they truly need.
Great, that you have pointed out the mistake, to believe movements during the day would suffice as exercises for the body. As this is not a self-caring thought and attitude, but comes from coping with the day, wanting to be effective, comes more from being overstrained than self-caring. Interesting trap to remain in the circles of stress. Your article is very inspiring to me! Thank you.
Jenny, I love your commitment – not just to exercise, but to the work you do. The people you nurse would be truly blessed to have you on the ward. It is true that ‘the more I care for me, the more I can care for them’ and so lovely that, though you do it for yourself, you recognize that by doing that you can be of greater service in your work.
I have always done some kind of exercise but it was purpose driven: to keep fit, lose weight, prove to myself that I was tough. It was my habit to walk fast wherever I went, my movement were brusque so I am truly amazed at my new found pace. Now I try to listen to the wisdom of my body. If during my morning routine I feel like to simply lay on the mat, then this is what I do. My body knows best.
I love reading your blog about walking and exercise. There’s always something new to consider after reading it. What I have discovered is that walking whilst at work is a great opportunity to check in with ourselves and bring presence, and what I have found when doing this, is how it actually recharges me whilst I go about my day’s work. So I’m less likely to leave work feeling tired and worn out, and rely on exercise or a walk at the end of my shift to let go of anything I’ve taken on during my day.
Walking is life changing in only a few minutes if you connect to your body and choose not to walk with what does not belong to you. Walking oneself is not only an amazing experience, it is more than enough. We do not need to carry any extra weight along the way.
A great blog Jen. There is so much power and healing that comes with exercising our body in connection, when the exercise is done as a means of true support, as opposed to exercising for a goal or outcome.
Great Jennifer, funny how one of the most important tools to help us bring ourselves back after a hard day, is usually the first thing we ditch. Even when I know how much better I feel, it seems to drop off the radar when things get intense.. here’s to a new commitment / experiment to bring back those walking moments.
Jennifer , I find this blog is very interesting because it makes me consider how often I allow myself to just go to bed without having taken the time to properly end the day, to just let it go and actually enjoy the evening. And if I haven’t done this for many days, how much I must be compounding and compressing each and every day on top of each other in my body. No wonder I get tired!
That’s very inspiring Jennifer I walk at the beginning of my day but reading this I can see how it would be very supportive to also walk in the evening on getting back from work.
Like you Jennifer I am now finding that exercise can be fun and rather than feeling a sense of achievement at the end I am now feeling a sense of fun and joy. This feels amazing after so many years of seeing exercise as a chore.
It doesn’t sound like a short walk could make such a difference, but I can vouch for the fact that it does indeed. When I don’t walk in the mornings, usually before work, it starts to get really noticeable over a few days. I’m definitely more tired, and I also find that I start to slip in other areas as well, particularly in the food department as I reach for ‘pick me ups’. Everything is connected – a very powerful piece of knowledge.
Words of wisdom from a nurse who cares for others and also cares for herself. Going for a walk for me has never felt like exercise but part of a daily rhythm that I always enjoy – whatever the weather – it is a time to let go of all the ‘doing’ and ‘fixing’ and just be with nature and restore the gentleness within.
I can so relate to all you have shared here Jen. Walking particularly has become a very powerful way to reconnect and let go of the things I have taken on but I have never considered an after work walk … Until now that is!
Hi Jennifer, exercise is something I have been looking at recently and moving from only walking to work and back to walking with me and exercising with me. The focus being on my body and how it feels during the exercise, so reading the blog was a reminder of that focus and not to get caught up in the ‘improving my body’ or other reasons to exercise and of course each exercise feels different so there are some my body feels to do more of than others and this changes depending on how I feel. It’s all a great learning curve and helps me really feel my body. After exercising in this way my connection to my body is so much more. Thanks for a great blog on this subject and your experience of developing you.
With commitment and understanding of how to care for ourselves, we can remain vital… What a powerful statement, especially when so much of the world is really lacking vitality and depending upon stimulants and sugar to keep going. The understanding is essential because this will bring the awareness and self responsibility that is necessary, and then the commitment to bring what we have become aware of into actuality.
Great point Ariana that we have a responsibility to ensure that we are fit for work and by doing this we actually ensure a better quality of life for ourselves and are not a drain on society.
Thank you for the inspiration that by taking responsibility for exercising in a way that supports your body you discovered you were more effective in your work. I have found this too and know that I am much more able to support clients when I am taking care of me by going for a daily walk and when I let this slip everything is affected detrimentally.
“It’s all about listening to my body and doing exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel.” Jennifer you’ve discovered a ‘best-kept secret’ – that when you are tired the best antidote is to move, with you, not to remain inactive and in your head! I’ve always been fortunate in having a very energetic body that will yell at me to get out and do something physical if I sit at the desk too long. If I try to override it and stay un-physical, I get fidgety and restless, start to feel tense and yukky, and know that I must listen to my body, get up and do what it’s saying. No matter where I have worked, there was always somewhere to walk during my lunch break, and it has a powerful effect on improving mental focus and energy back on the job after lunch. I used to observe workmates sitting indoors all through their lunch breaks, and how their energy would be all downhill from there; they felt tired and reluctant to be at work, not very productive, hard to get anything done. And of course their health suffered. Sure it’s difficult to overcome the momentum of a lifetime of being physically passive, but just committing to yourself until over that hump brings the most amazing benefits. Your body will know that you’ll listen to it, and feel great for having been heard and obeyed!
It is the quality that we bring to ourselves and then all that we do that makes the difference. Being fit for work on all levels is key to our enjoying work so caring for ourselves and bringing a gentleness or tenderness to the way we move and are with ourselves allows for that delicious feeling that you mention having at the gym or going for a walk. Thank you for mentioning the strength and flexibility gained from the gym. Both these aspects are very important and sometimes we can be flexible without strength to back it up and sometimes we can be strong but inflexible and stubborn. A balanced exercise routine can support us to be more balanced in ourselves and thus able to express more fully in life.
So true Ariana. We sign a contract to say we will perform a certain job, but we do little to ensure we are capable of providing that service, then blame the job for making us feel a certain way, or that it is the job’s fault that we can’t do it.
Great blog Jennifer Smith and it was a great reminder for me that when we exercise in a gentle way then it actually can give us true vitality and healing by clearing our bodies. This is in contrast to what I have experienced in the past with hard or intense exercise when I have pushed my body beyond its natural limits and after the initial adrenaline or endorphin high has worn off, have felt more loaded, exhausted and sore than I was before.
Walking does feel lovely for my body too Jennifer, I love this time that I get to spend wth myself, connecting to nature and to other people. I have also found that exercising to have a strong and flexible body to bring to our work has many benefits beyond those mentioned.
Thank you Jen. I have also learnt to love exercise, particularly walking. This is because it is no longer outcome orrientated other than time to be with me and to connect with my body. Yes, walking creates a feeling of vitality and strength, no need for those horrible, strenuous workouts anymore. Thank goodness for that!
An awesome sharing Jennifer, it is timely reading your blog as I am considering joining a gym and increasing my fitness level. I work a lot of shift work as well as I am finding that my body needs more support as I get older to cope with the demands of my job. Thank you for inspiring me to take this important next step.
I also find that a walk most days is such a support for me. I usually walk with our dog most mornings. It is not a long walk but a gentle one and it really helps me to start the day being me.
Thank you Jennifer for your sharing. I am not a Nurse but I am sure that integrating walking and gentle exercise into anyone’s day is so important. I have not been able to go for my usual morning walk for awhile and I miss it so much. Such an uplifting way to start the day!
Jennifer I like how you distinguish between exercise done to achieve a goal, and exercise like walking so essential to our daily well being. It is a fantastic and fun way to reconnect with our astonishing body. I have learned much thanks to the practitioners of Universal Medicine.
Thanks Jen for a great article. I too am a nurse and often wonder how to cope with 5 early/pm shifts in a row without feeling exhausted. I am now inspired to follow your great advice of going for a gentle walk after work, even if I feel tired to rebalance myself. I have also found esoteric yoga very beneficial in reconnecting to me and letting the day’s events which I have taken on leave my body.
What a beautiful relationship one must have with their body to truly use exercise in this way. Truly inspiring.
Thanks Jenny, a testimonial for me to practise in my working environment as I also work on a ward. I have ‘me and my time’ upon waking in the morning where I connect with my body. It feels really yummy when my limbs reconnect to my breath, I’m going to apply this more in my work environment, a work in progress and I love the amazing discoveries about myself and getting to know me more.
Great point Jennifer – I know that when I use the excuse that I am too tired to go for a walk, it is usually the thing that actually supports me the most! Walking is one of my favourite things to do now – to have some time for me, to connect with my body and to exercise.
Thank you Jennifer Smith for emphasizing on the importance of exercising on our physical wellbeing. I too have had the belief that the daily activities I did provided me with sufficient exercise but lately I found out that this is not the case. I was just fooling myself and creating a body that was not fit enough to support me through my daily activities. I now do regular gentle exercises and especially my walks I experience as very supportive. As you say Jennifer, these walks help me to reconnect to my body and feel where I am at and surprisingly I feel it also helps me in re-establishing the connection with my feelings, which for a man is a huge blessing since I was growing up with the belief that men are not able to feel, that feeling is the domain of women.
Reading your blog I was reflecting on how we have all given away our power so thoroughly to outer experts, with diet, exercise, and so on. Your blog outlines how simple it can all be when we truly feel what works for our own body. I know for me exercise was faced with dread because of taking on ideas that I had to push myself to get benefit. Gentleness and listening to what works for us as individuals, and honouring our body, is a much more inviting way to approach exercise.
Yes, I agree Melinda. There are so many “health experts” prescribing how to get healthy that self responsibility is eroded away. And as Jen demonstrated the programs offered by these “experts” do not tend to last and once the goal is met everything stops. When we feel how loving and honoured our body feels when exercising when in tune with our body, the motivation is far greater to continue as we can feel the nurturing and connection.
Beautiful Jennifer this is so supportive of the benefit of exercise and in particular my daily walk as part of ones rhythm, health, wellbeing and life. It allows for greater clarity, spaceousness and joy in my body and is very benefical all round. Thank you
In a world where exercise is predominately now done to achieve the look we are after it is like a breath of fresh air reading your blog Jennifer on exercising to support your body.
I agree with you Jennifer, I find walking a really good way to get the energy flowing and I feel so much better and have greater clarity afterwoods.
Great blog Jen. I’ve always seen exercise as a chore and would often have long bursts of extreme exercise and then not do any for months. Then the merry go round of guilt would start up again and the cycle would continue. I have noticed that making the change to exercise at the rate I feel to every day has unlocked the need to do a certain amount in a certain way. Each day is different, but stopping to feel what I need makes my exercise routine different and varied, and as a result enjoyable.
It is very powerful the difference in walking as part of our work and walking as part of a focused ‘caring’ for me time. Once overcoming the resistance and naming it for what it is – the rest is a pure joy and everyone benefits. Thanks Jennifer.
I am now a great believer in doing exercise to support my work and my life. Having a good exercise rhythm has transformed my life and I can really notice how different my day can be if I miss my morning walk.
This is Amazing and from what you shared it is easy to see the difference is us and what we choose. I have a lot to learn from this right now, and action!
This is such a great blog Jen. I was really inspired by what you said about walking after work. I have been sitting here feeling my body after a long day at work and can definitely feel how a walk would be so healing right now. Thank you for your reflection – it has allowed me to open the space to be more dedicated to my body and what it is feeling.
I can relate to this as well Amelia. After a long day of work or study it is so common to say ‘Phew, now I am going to do nothing anymore for the rest of the day’ but I am finding as well that the most rejuvenating thing to do after a long day is not always sitting down or having a meal. Sometimes a walk is so much more rejuvenating. Like you say, listening to what your body wants at that moment.
Yes exactly Lieke. I have also found that by truly listening to my body sometimes what it really needs is to go for a walk. It leaves me feeling so fresh and invigorated afterwards.
I totally agree Lieke, with walking I start to feel the loveliness of my body through the movements it makes during my walk. I cannot other than enjoy this and let go of all the tension that the activities during the day have built in my body.
This is very inspiring Jennifer, I walk everyday and love it, and can definitely relate to feeling what the day has been and where I am holding onto things in my body when I walk. Generally tightness around my décolletage or shoulder area, like a hard feeling if I am taking on the day or doing too much. I have experienced gentle exercise and love it too but am not so great with doing it daily… Your blog has inspired me to develop a routine of exercising that supports my strength and vitality. You make it sound easy and a great feeling in your body – which it is! Inspired.
Thanks for sharing this Jennifer. I have read this blog previously and have also been inspired to incorporate a gentle exercise program into my rhythm. Recently I increased the weight I was lifting and noticed how over a few weeks of doing these heavier weights that I felt tighter and harder across my chest, less open to people and that it was more of an effort. So I have reduced my weights again and feel that these lighter weights are more supportive to maintain my health and fitness without the hardness. Others have shared similar experiences to mine. It is so interesting to feel these differences in fitness and working out, as previously I had lifted heavier and heavier weights to try to get stronger rather than feel what was actually supportive of my body. For me, exercise is now about support rather than pushing myself.
I too have found that going for a walk is a great way to release energy that I’ve taken on or gone into and in doing so to re-balance.
Wow Jennifer – love this article! Sure can feel the spring in your step 😉
It is so refreshing to read about the benefits of exercise in a way that does not involve a whole lot of rah-rah, or a go hard or go home, no pain no gain, get your bikini body NOW! vibe…boring, painful and all with a focus on fixing or bettering yourself from the outside! Instead what you have presented is incredible – kind of ground-breaking really – that you can use exercise to rejuvenate, to connect – to your body and also to what you may have taken on during the day, which can then so easily be let go of.
I definitely need to get some more walks-in for me, rather than just during my working day. Taking myself to the gym or going for a walk just because I feel like it, are two awesomely loving things I can do, that when done with presence and without rushing (like I’m ticking that box for the day) feel amazing and also re-sets me into my body beautifully.
Yes Jennifer, listening to our body and exercising gently has given me more energy in my later years than I had when young. I have a very busy time coming up soon at work but I know how to care for myself now and I don’t dread the business and full on schedule that is coming my way. I’ll take it one step at a time.
Thank you Jen, an inspiration here into true care and into the power of walking and feeling our bodies. I loved what you shared about walking after a morning shift and what you could feel you had taken on during the day — and that as you walked you could feel all the tension lift. Walking with awareness we give ourselves our own healing session — how empowering is that!
‘The more I care for me, the more I can care for them.’ Beautiful Jennifer – daily self care and exercise is so important – and not just for ourselves.
I can really relate to what you are saying Jennifer. I used to exercise frenetically but never really felt that it was revitalising in anyway. I was satisfied with what I was doing but on a very temporal level, with my mind, not my body, affirming what I was doing!
Now with Danielle’s exercise class it is so different. I actually check in with my body and adjust what I do on how I feel. My body feels toned and feminine – gorgeous!
Great blog Jennifer. I find if I do some exercise regularly in the morning I feel so much more energised to meet what lies ahead in the day. I have recently been experimenting by doing this exercise at whatever pace feels right at the time. I have found that my body relaxes more when I adjust my rhythm to suit my body and the time spent exercising seems to just flow.
I used to exercise with the belief that it had to be a bit punishing to give me benefit, this is an entrenched and normalised way of exercising but one I am slowly leaving behind. To exercise as a means to set myself up for the day or as you say Jen with walking, to release the days challenges from your body, this is a quite powerful and supportive way to approach exercise. I love what you have written here and it certainly helped me explore the benefits of a new approach to fitness and health that consider first and foremost our well-being.
It’s amazing how even when I feel tired a walk can bring me back to myself and I can feel so much more vibrant. Having a walk every day makes total sense.
Super beautiful blog Jennifer. Loved reading about it, especially the part where it was described as ‘the most delicious aspect of exercising in this way is how lovely I feel at the gym or while going for a walk’ I can relate to that. It always feels good when your exercising for you. It’s a great point you made that even though you might be physically active at work and think you are doing enough your body might want to move differently/ in a different way and as you shared, making it easier for your day to day activities.
I can so relate to this Jen. I had always done exercise with force and dread (usually to try and lose weight), and walking was something I did to get from A to B. I now so enjoy my gentle walks and the opportunity to feel my body and be in nature. I love how you share that this doesn’t just support you, but all of your patients and colleagues too.
I used to also fall into the trap that my job provided me with all the exercise I needed until I started doing a bit to support my job. The results were quite astounding as I now have way more energy during and after work.
A very confirming blog Jen – had a similar experience working 7-9hr shifts in retail, when I first started I was exhausted at the end of everyday but by choosing to get to the gym, even just to do some gentle rowing and building my general fitness outside of work I soon discovered that I could get to friday night and still feel myself, not tired and seeking relief on the weekend – my customers got the best of me too
Jennifer what you have shared here is quite significant. After spending all day on my feet, my legs are sore and fatigued; I could not walk another step. I never realized the reason could be its because I have been taking things on and that walking would help to clear it. I used to think I got enough exercise at work and did not need to exercise so I never did. There is something very special about exercising for no purpose other than to connect with your body. I highly recommend it.
Working physically most days again, I’d not considered the benefits of actually taking the time to do exercise for myself. It’s more so the intention of exercise and the way we do so, I find, that makes a walk or a gym session so levelling. With recent before and after work walks, I’m definitely starting to feel how it’s going to support me in my work and day-to-day. Thanks Jennifer.
Truly grasping that to be able to care for others we have to care for ourselves first is such a powerful game changer. Everything in this world teaches us to set ourselves back, be humble, etc., but we close to never are taught to care for ourselves. Caring for ourselves not with selfishness or arrogance, but simply out of love for us and everyone else – this is the key.
Jennifer I too work in a role caring for others and am on my feet for most of the day. The nature of my role means on most days I am unable leave the premises, go for a walk in the usual way or swim. I have had to find alternative ways to exercise. Like you I can at times let my head rule and convince myself I’m too tired to exercise, but deep down know this is not the truth. I’ve been introduced to Danielle Pirera’s gentle exercise programme, learned to listen to my body, set my own pace and only do what feels right. It’s still work in progress, but I’m beginning to dedicate time each day to gentle exercise and found it helps me re-connect to my body.
Thank You Jenn. I also trained and trained at various stages in my life, pushing to be stronger and harder incurring so much damage on my body in martial arts that I totally ignored. The irony of tuning up a body who’s signals back to me were totally ignored is now of course not lost on me. I am extremely grateful for Danielle Pirera’s extremely gentle instructions which I have been practicing daily for over 7 years now. It is essential that people understand what is being written here.
I have always loved walking, especially amongst nature, and always felt better after walking- more connected, revitalised and free from negative thoughts bombarding me.
The difference now is that my walk is more purposeful- to connect to me more deeply, not leave my body and escape the stressors of the day, but feel, nominate, and let go what I have taken on from others that is not me.
Walking has certainly helped me come back to me, after a shift at the hospital.
I have always enjoyed walking in the morning before work however at the moment this is not possible for me so I have switched to walking after work. I too have been exploring how walking at different times serves different purposes. I love how changes to the way we exercise can open us up to learning more about ourselves and how we are living.
Learning to do “…exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel” really blew the lid off our current approach to fitness for me, because it is so effective whilst still being self-hounouring and physically safe. No more pushing myself beyond what I can handle, if I am really tuned into my body instead of someone else’s ideal of what I should be able to do.
Jennifer, what a great sharing. You bring a whole other level of understanding and purpose to exercise. Supporting your body and your day rather than to achieve a certain level of fitness or some other goal. I’m inspired!
‘The more I care for me, the more I can care for them..’ A simple realisation with profound consequences Jennifer. I’m off for walk now too!
Great inspiration, just on a day that I feel that I really want to exercise more…I do morning walks and next time I am bringing my weights. My body is really asking for it and not in the way that I used to do exercise and I was just result driven.
Now when I walk, I walk to be with me, to feel my feet on the ground, to enjoy, to connect and to feel my whole being get energized.
Thank you Jen for explaining how your intentions behind walking or exercising are game-changers.
I agree Jennifer, I feel much more energised when I exercise in my day.
inspiring Jen! I am so glad to hear that there there is a way of working as a Nurse and not completely exhausting youself all the time.
Thanks for sharing Jennifer, walking is so powerful when done in connection to our bodies.
Jennifer I found your article really interesting, especially your comment about going for a walk when previously you would have thought that you were too tired to go. The crucial thing I have come to feel is the energy that we are in when we walk. When I pushed myself to go for a walk when I was already fatigued I would come back feeling even more whacked.
However when I have walked in a very gentle, loving way, connecting to my body as it walks, then it can have a subtle rejuvenating effect. I found some old notes that I had from a Universal Medicine talk which said that the legs magnify energy through the rest of the body. If we learnt that the rhythm of our walk had such a profound effect on how we feel, we could change so much just with that one fact.
Thank-you Jennifer for describing how differently we can approach exercising. When we exercise we can often feel either more energised or want to just flop down in a chair exhausted – the difference being one way is pushing the body and that can lead to having to keep pushing the body to get what needs to be done during the day, or the other way is listening to what will truly support the body and exercising from that awareness, which then can help the whole day flow a lot easier.
Thank you, Jennifer. I love this insight you shared about how you felt when walking at the end of your working day “As I walked, I had a sense that I was releasing the day that I had taken on.”
I feel this happens to me too, taking ‘on’ what’s going on at work. This has inspired me to try going for a walk, especially when I am feeling fatigued at the end of my work.
It is very timely to read this as I haven’t done exercise for a long time, or would start it with good intentions and then stop. But over the last few weeks I have felt something I have never felt before, it is my body asking to do gentle exercises and lots of stretching and try as I might to ignore this! : | I can’t : )
Such a beautiful playful blog Jennifer. I could really feel the fluidity and joy of your expression.
I’m flexible with when and how I exercise but the one certain thing is that it has to happen every day, as I am in an office job with a large part of my day sitting down. Some days it is as simple as a 15-minute walk to and from the train station, other days it is a brisk morning walk before work, or lunchtime walk, or early morning gentle gym session. For me, it’s an important part of how I care for myself, no different to how I look after myself with how I sleep and eat, and it truly supports me in my day.
A great reflective blog Jennifer, I loved what you said about thinking exercise had to have a purpose or outcome, rather than connecting to one’s body and exercise being an enjoyment of moving.
I find the more I build my connection to myself, through my body, the more I enjoy being in my body and exercising has that quality of playful-ness and joy to it.
I used to train hard to get fit to play rugby years ago and hated every minute of it, it was the no pain no gain way of thinking and to be quite honest I have never been a big fan of pain. I went years after this not exercising as I thought my job provided me with enough. I now know that the more gentle exercise I do the more it supports me.
I too relate Jen, to changing from using exercise and in particular walking not as a goal orientated task to achieve fitness but an activity of building and expressing that connection to my essence. Walking feels so different for me now.
Jennifer, you have inspired me to get moving – very gently of course. I am at a stage when the very sedentary job of the last year is showing in my body, as my exercise after a full day at work has been minimal. I can hear my body talking to me very clearly about needing to move and to stretch, and I am listening; ready to take the first gentle step.
Great Jennifer! I still have a consiousness around exercise. I want to move, but I want to move to get fit, to tone up etc etc. I also want to move to feel looser in my body..I want to feel more vital, and more open. I am really inconsistent with exercise and notice how much of a lack of commitment there is to it. I know that the thing that is missing is that I am still focussed around the ‘doing’ and the ‘checklist’. A pattern I am getting to the bottom of.
Jen I relate to what you said about purpose to exercising. For me it was about being fit, relieving stress, and being muscle-y, which was a look I was after in my younger days and have been able to let go of that. I have found with gentle exercise I feel more vital and energised compared to vigorous exercise, which actually made me feel tired.
Isn’t it amazing how a gentle walk, feeling where you are at with your body and letting go of what has been taken on during the work day can re-energise you. When you said this I could feel how loving this was to actually do this at the end of a working day. Thank you for the inspiration.
I can totally relate. If I don’t go for a walk there is a buildup of things I have taken on.
Exercise ” It’s all about listening to my body and doing exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel.” I so agree. Attending an exercise class as I do now, I don’t necessarily keep up with everyone else or even in time to the music -which I used to do. I now focus on how my body is feeling and it has made such a difference to my day.
When we come to understand that we all take on board the highs and lows of the day, and that something like walking, that is so simple, can help us to free our bodies from all the impositions of the day – a walk it is!
Your blog feels fresh 🙂 and inspiring ! Going for a conscious walk is very clearing for me too. Often better than a rest..Making a 7 days-experiment is really helpful to find out what is supportive !
My usual start for the day is walking and I love it! I started walking about 20 years ago when I had a dog and a husband who enjoyed the early morning walk also. Life moves on and now there is only me to walk with and I totally enjoy the beautiful birds that I see Blue Wrens, Willy Wagtails, Red browed Finch, Kookaburras, Rosellas, Magpie, Galahs the list goes on also Ducks are prevalent. I live close to a River and there is a walking track specially built for exercising, many people use it to jog and at times it looks like hard work not pleasure. You have certainly been reaping the benefits of your walk Jen so congratulations!
I can definitely relate and like you said also, if I go for a walk feeling tired, every time without fail have I come back more energised. It’s just about getting that foot out of the door haha
This is really inspiring Jen. We can so easily fall into the trap of “I’m so tired that a walk won’t be good for me and I need to rest.”. Sometimes this is the case but perhaps, more often, the movement and shifting of energy that takes place with a walk is what we actually need.
Yes, that was a very beautiful description of what walking can do for you.
It’s great to hear that someone has made exercise such a personal experience, and made it about self care rather than achieving an external goal. This is very inspiring.
‘The more I care for me, the more I can care for them’. What a wonderful revelation Jennifer. The idea of putting everyone else first just does not make sense. It serves everyone if we put our own self care first.
I loved what you say here Jennifer. Being a nurse myself I also used to think I was doing enough walking at work but like you have discovered that I often took on what was going on at work and would feel wiped out at the end of the day with a hardened and heavier body rather than a fitter one. I used to wonder why I was getting heavier despite all the “exercise” I got at work. I have also found a gentle walk after work helps me feel what has happened throughout the day and to let go of it. I am lighter physically as well and looser in my body. I sometimes walk before I go to work and find my day feels much more spacious, light and simple, because I have taken time for me beforehand. Such simple things can support us so much more than we realise.
I have found out and I have to admit it is because i have a dog, that a walk does seem to energise me. On days in the past were I felt fatigued and would probably have flagged going for a walk, but have gone anyway because the dog needed to go, I always come back feeling better than I did before the walk. Exercise done gently is a healing modality in itself.
Yes I agree Jen, walking is great for letting go of the day and everything that is hanging on. I recently discovered stretching and core exercise for me. This is a great way to connect with my body, especially in the morning. It supports me to not go into doing mode straight away and push on but rather ease myself into the day, really honouring my body.
Lovely to see your evolving relationship with exercise Jennifer. I used to push myself very hard with exercise to feel like I was “achieving” something – getting fitter, stronger etc. It left me feeling drained. Now my exercise is more gentle and it feels like it actually supports me in my daily work rather than draining me before work. I am still refining my exercise but I definitely feel like am now exercising to support my body rather than to get somewhere.
Thank you Jen, your message is clear, sometimes exercise is for letting go of what accumulates in your body and as you do it gently and wisely, you start to actually feel the exercise is liberating more energy rather than draining you. I have experienced this myself, yet still sometimes go into a drive with exercise to push through the tiredness barrier, which only leaves me feeling spent and not truly vital. I will remember this the next time I say I’m too tired and see what happens.
I also found that I really wanted to walk but used the excuse that I was already walking so much in my work in order to avoid it. Since learning about the importance of gentle exercise, the gentle breath and especially consistency through Universal Medicine, I now I enjoy my daily walks immensely and also the fact that my stamina and strength have increased.
Dear Jennifer,
Beginning to exercise daily has been a wonderful support for me. So much so that I wish everyone in the world could also feel how I feel. Yet knowing deeply that not every one wants this for themselves. Understanding and accepting this is a huge learning for me. What I am now at a cross roads with is allowing myself to stay feeling wonderful as I live in my day. As you say you can feel in your body the stuff that we let in during our day. My learning is this only happens when I drop away from my natural state of feeling very still and joyful.
‘The more I care for me, the more I can care for them.’ Love your blog Jennifer. This is a great reminder for me to do the same. Thank you.
Jennifer you show that the way you love yourself is also in your profession as a nurse which is just wonderful. And I love how you described the ‘carrying of days’ in your walk and how you shifted this energy through feeling it all in your body. I am inspired.
Jenny I am feeling inspired by your choice to walk after work. I can feel this could be be supportive for me as I have tended to think I should exercise before I go to work and that I would be too tired after it. Going to give it a try, thank you.
What a joy it is to read your blog, Jennifer! Thank you. It’s a re-confirmation for what I’ve also learned with the help of Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon.
It feels so g r e a t.
I have a dog, so twice daily ‘I take the dog for a walk’. What I realised recently is actually I really love walking myself, that it doesn’t have to be about the dog, it can be about me also. Thank you Jennifer for highlighting the value in walking. Being aware while walking, making a conscious choice to walk, and allowing ourselves to walk in rhythm with the body, are all messages I get from reading this article.
It is amazing how going for a simple walk can help you feel more energised even if you have to drag yourself out the front door, I have definitely felt that one, how much your body will love you for it afterwards, you begin to wonder what the fight was all about…
I wish all Nurses could read your inspiring blog Jen.
A news item this morning reported on a terminally ill Doctor Kate. Due to the lack of respect she was shown by nursing staff, she has begun a campaign called
“Boost compassionate care for patients across the UK” the reason: nurses were not telling patients their names and patients were known by the number of the bed!
Yes, much needed yet sadly, Dr Kate omitted to add “and healthcare staff” too.
Thankfully, many practitioners of Universal Medicine are playing a big part in promoting self care for all people working in the NHS.
Great experiment and I must say, after walking the 5k’s on a nursing shift the last thing you feel like when you get home is a walk around the block. It makes sense though, to feel the day and adjust your body after the chaotic environment of nursing. I like the sound of feeling really strong in your body and the difference gentle gym exercise has made.
Love it Jennifer!
And I can absolutely attest to ‘how enjoyable it [is] to exercise in this way’– being gentle with our bodies and not pushing or forcing in anyway! It is like a date with ourselves!!
Such simple truths you speak – exercise, even simple walking, can be so beneficial for us all when done in the right way! Thanks for the reminder!
The goal driven approach to exercise is the most common, yet for many people this makes exercise very unenjoyable. I hear many people say that they need the goal or they won’t exercise at all. But as Jen shares, exercise can be really enjoyable if we don’t feel we need to push ourselves so hard, and exercise in a gentler way. Incidental exercise is also something that for me, I have found is not always of the same quality as setting aside a time to exercise purely for the enjoyment and connection that brings.
The support that exercise gives our bodies is undeniable. However the quality of the exercises that we choose and the way we do them makes a whole lot of difference. What I am really enjoying now is being able to bringing my attention to different parts of my body or focus on my body, while while I am walking or at the gym and hone in in the delicate movements that are involved. I surprised myself the other day whilst walking to discover that there wasn’t one part of my body that wasn’t moving while I walked, even if it was a tiny movement – it was so lovely to feel.
Thanks Jen for your blog. I love how you have described your experiment for walking during your seven-day-in-a -row stint. It so demonstrates how our bodies do take on ‘stuff’ during the day, and contributes to those feelings lethargy and tiredness. Taking some time like going for a walk, to release and let go of the day’s activities, is really a great self caring activity to do.
Another example of how important regular exercise is for our general wellbeing
For me a simple walk is amazing for getting back into balance after a busy and even strenuous day. It helps to free up my muscles and joints and to re connect in this way is something I definitely look forward too, thanks for sharing Jen.
Thanks Jennifer its great to feel the joy you have from exercising and its effects it has on your day. I too love walking and exercising my body and how that supports my consistency through a day and no doubt felt by others.
Thank you Jen for this lovely blog. I too have felt how rebalancing a walk can be after work and how this really supports me to let go of my working day. This then means I can really be with myself and my family in the evening and make this my focus instead of replaying work events and being caught up in an earlier part of my day. Attending Universal Medicine presentations has supported me to develop the awareness that truly caring for my body supports every aspect of my life.
Love it Jen. As with everything Universal Medicine has to offer – it simply makes sense!
I too have incorporated gentle exercise into my daily routine and have benefitted enormously. My previously constant back pain and a reliance on painkillers has diminished, to the point that I don’t even carry them in my handbag anymore.
Serge Benhayon and many of the associated practitioners that I’ve had appointments with over the years have also supported me to be more loving and gentle with myself, and appreciate the delicateness and natural rhythms of my body.
Amazing what we discover when we take the time.
Yes, it is so easy to convince ourselves that when we feel tired we need a rest but really our bodies need a walk to support us in that moment. Great blog showing us the power walking has on our bodies.
Jenny it is fascinating that you have a physical job, that requires incidental strength as well as being on your feet and walking at times quite quickly and you found that by increasing your fitness and even getting to the gym has made your job easier. This now makes sense to me but I can also understand how easy it would be in this kind of job to justify not exercising and using the excuse of already having done enough activity at work or feeling tired or difficult to find a routine with shift work and a suitable time of day to fit it in with other life demands such as family. Yet despite all of the excuses that are even understandable you can testify that the benefits of exercising gave you more energy noting you made a point that you really listen to your body and not force the pace you exercise at.
I have fits and spurts with exercise, I do it for a while and then it goes by the wayside, I find it difficult to do consistently, but like yourself when I do I find it energising and rebalancing, so thank you Jennifer for the reminder, I found your blog is very inspiring.
I often go for a walk in my lunch break at work and I find it so refreshing. I work in an air-conditioned environment and it is a relief to get out in the fresh air and the sunshine. When I return from my walk I always feel more inspired to get back to work. Like you I walk a lot in my job but it is a really different thing going for a walk just to be with yourself rather than walking to get you somewhere.
I agree, this is very inspiring. Exercise is an amazing support for us and everyone we are with.
Isn’t it amazing that for many of us exercise, in the past has been about “punishing” our bodies and we have overridden any messages the body has sent us. I have been in this “punishing” mode for many years and it has taken me a long time to feel that gentle exercise, including walking, is a truly loving way to feel my body and that this type of exercise would actually feel beneficial. This has been an amazing revelation for me!
Yes Anne this was also my experience. I had to reach a goal of some sort, and believed in the “no pain, no gain” that was often repeated around me. Osteoporosis and a Universal Practitioner put an end to this. I have now learned to practice gentle exercises and have more vitality than ever before.
Thank you Jennifer, this is very inspiring and I’m going to walk the walk tomorrow 😉
I can see how exercise can be either fun and silly or dreaded and serious.
I’ll give not having an outcome of sit ups or push ups during each session a go, while also being constantly responding to what my body is calling for i.e. not being lazy or doing a long walk and intensive work out if needed.
#newyear #resolution #everyday
Thank you for sharing your experience. It is so easy to fall into the “I’m too tired to exercise” or alternatively push ourselves to exercise in a harsh way that does nothing to restore our body. It sounds like you have found a super simple, supportive way to help you feel great at work no matter how many days you are working in a row! I have also found my body loves regular gentle exercise and perhaps most of all it loves the fact that I am making a commitment to myself.
I can relate to taking on “stuff throughout the day” and then coming home and feeling tired. I have also noticed by doing some gentle exercise after work I feel more connected with myself and energised. I usually walk in the mornings but from reading your blog I feel that walking after work would be more beneficial in clearing how I have been throughout the day.
Usually I go for a walk mid afternoon if I can and it definitely enhances my day and the quality of work that I do on my return. Although the weather forecast has been bright in the morning with rain in the afternoon and it has actually been like that the last couple of days and probably will be today, I have found myself looking out of the window ( it’s now just past 1pm) saying, not yet. I know if I don’t go now, when it’s sunny I might not go, or go very far when it is dull and rainy later. Why put it off? This article is perfect for me right now. It is reminding me how vital those walks are and how I can easily push myself to do, or want to follow a routine because “that’s what I always do”. Thank you Jennifer. I am going right now.
Great blog. It made me realise the beliefs that have been driving my attitude to exercise all these years. Even walking was reinterpreted as a way of ‘getting my exercise in’ rather than a moment in my day to just be me, in gentle movement. Purpose, purpose, purpose. Just exhausting. Love your experiment and its reminder of the releasing and rebalancing benefits of walking.
“The first thing that surprised me was how my body really felt the workout, even though it was gentle and I was only doing as many repetitions of an exercise as I felt to.” Since recommitting to exercise – according to how my body feels – I am amazed by how much more energy I have during my day. It is so supportive, even when I am feeling that it is one more thing to fit into my day.
I have come to realise how important regular exercise is recently, in the support of an overall healthy approach to life by not doing it for a couple of weeks and feeling the difference. I have a physical job anyway and never did any real exercise apart from work as I thought it wasn’t necessary but have now come to realise how supportive it is to my daily tasks and the overall state of my body.
Sometimes I can tell myself that I am too tired as I’ve been out of the house for twelve hours and all I want to do is sit down – which makes no sense because I sit down at work quite a bit and I would actually benefit from moving around and walking.
The part of the blog which stood out for me was “I had been taking on all of the events, issues and emotions of the day and perhaps what I needed to do was actually walk after work”. Thank you Jennifer for this reminder, I’m off to get my walking shoes on.
I have a very sedentary job so I love to go walking during my lunch break. There’s a park nearby which I enjoy letting my legs and arms have some movement. Since I started on a rigorous exercise program, I feel so much more energy and I get through the day without the hump in the mid afternoon where I used to feel like having a nap.
It´s funny that when you do more, apart from the normal exercise that a nursing job requires, when you do that extra walking or swimming, you have more energy instead of less. And you can be aware of your body and take the time to let go of all the tension and stress you might have taken on. Thanks for the reminder.
Exercise definitely sets one up for the day, each and every day if done gently in a loving way to support oneself and the care taken with this intention. I have found it is part of my rhythm each day, sometimes in different forms, from moving and stretching before I get up to walking and swimming in the day and at different times of the year. With making my natural rythmn to include some exercise and the fact of making life about rhythms within rhythms I have found it a very supportive way to live and have so much more vitality and joy as a result.
Thank you Jennifer for sharing this.
I recently started a small exercise routine a few months ago and surprised myself how my bidy feels. The walks bring me back to me and the light weights builds my strength in my arms, the rest of the other exercise working on giving tone to body.
Amita, I too have a gentle exercise routine in the morning. Before my body can feel tired and achy but after this has gone and I feel energised for the day. My body feels stronger and more toned.
Hi Jennifer, I have noticed recently that if I’m feeling tired and weary, rather than slobbing out on the sofa or laying on my bed, I actually feel much better if I go for a gentle walk, or a gentle swim. I highly recommend trying this out.
‘My experience showed me that with commitment and understanding of how to truly care for my body, I can remain energised and vital, during and after work.’ This is very true. The effect of daily walking on our health is just profound. Recently I stopped my morning walk for a few months, and have just restarted it, the difference in my body is huge, I feel less sluggish, less lazy and much more vitality and much more commitment to life – and that is just in a few days.
Great blog Jennifer. I also used to exercise to keep fit and push myself beyond what my body could handle. I now exercise very gently and I love walking and love what you share in relation to walking after work even though you felt tired. I often feel more energised after a walk even if it seems that if would make me more tired. What you say makes so much sense,walking allows the body to let go and release the tensions and stresses that have built up in the day.
I love walking too, Annemarie, but I have noticed in myself that there is a difference between ‘walking’ and ‘a walk’. Walking around as part of my daily service, however mindfully done, is not the same as a walk undertaken, and enjoyed, just for myself. Both have their benefits, for me, walking can be a tool to help me cope with the tensions and stresses of the day, a walk releases them.
I used to exercise in the same way as you Annemarie and Jen – I pushed my body in a hard driven way – for a purpose. What I realised was the purpose was for a functional outcome rather than just to enjoy my body and support it – I was working against myself – it was a relief when I stopped. Now when I exercise more gently when it feels right in the rhythm of my day and from what my body feels to do rather than what ‘I think I should do’ it’s like I’m rediscovering the gorgeous gentle way my body can move and let emotional tensions go and be at ease again. Like you Jen, more and more I have a spring in my step now when I go for a walk which feels just great.
Thanks Jen, it’s so true that to really care for ourselves we need to include gentle exercise as part of our routine. It’s so simple as well, thanks for the reminder of what is natural to the body.
I agree Ulrike, it is really important for everyone to include some form of gentle exercise and walking as part of our daily routine. Whilst there is no need to push the body to extremes as you can see people doing in most gyms it is important to look after the body physically. I know for me it helps sets me up for the rest of the day.
When I look back over my years I used to be into sports at a young age, then became a teenage and it was to cool not to play sports so slowly dropped of what I did towards the later years of my teens. Early adult hood and twenties that was pretty much a void time until the later twenties. Then I got into running and sometimes some swimming. when I look at it like this I would be interested to see if many others had a void period in the early adult and twenties… My feeling is I thought I was invincible and my health wasn’t on my radar. It would be great to have something set up to support people of that age with exercise as this will set them up for life to look after themselves. Having a strong foundation at school but something in place to follow on and take it into the next phase of life would be amazing.
As I don’t walk much at work I am aware of the importance of exercise. However I do often try and combine things thinking if I’ve done a lot of walking around a town then that means I no longer need to walk in the evening or morning – however I am now realising on those days I am then missing out on the real benefit walking for me.
Your comment about walking as a means from getting from A to B is very exposing. I think many of us have left doing things for ourselves and our own well being for the sake of getting things done quicker, only if necessary, etc. Consequently we tend to lose the enjoyment and the fun from these simple pleasures, like walking. With a slight change in focus and attitude however you have highlighted how simple it is to enjoy and benefit from these activities which support not only ourselves but those around us too.
As I read this I was feeling completely physically drained from two very hard days back to back and I realised that it is because I am not doing enough exercise outside of work, because work is so physical, I assumed I was getting enough exercise. Thank you, you have inspired me to make changes to my routine to incorporate walking every day.
Our bodies needs exercise and stimulation of the organs to keep them healthy and fit. Everything that we put into our bodies will also have an impact on how the body will react. I have learned since attending Universal Medicine presentations the importance of this and listening to our bodies is crucial for our health and wellbeing and living a life in full. It has and still does feel like I am re training myself to take more notice of what is going on and the one thing that I have been doing consistently over the last few years has been exercise and it feels amazing to look after myself in this way. I love my time when I am feeling my body and listening to what it feels like doing when I exercise.
A beautiful sharing Jennifer. I like how you clarify the difference between walking because we have to and then walking for exercise and taking care of ourselves.
With any exercise as you say, ‘It’s all about listening to my body and doing exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel’. I have found this to be key.
Well said Jane, Jennifer’s blog is widely applicable. I love the way you have introduced self care as being a fundamental element for the customer service industry. I can see this principle can be applied to all jobs that have any contact with a client base, whether that be as a receptionist, care staff, builder, sales person etc. Our quality of service will be deepened the more we care for ourselves no matter what we do as a job.
Thank you Jennifer, an inspiring blog and I relate well to what you share about how you felt about exercise and the changes you have made. I used to hate exercise and all that I attached to it, going to the gym, having the right clothes to wear. I made it hard work, and as for walking, well that was only something I did if I had a very short distance to go that did not warrant taking the car.
I now choose to exercise my body from how I feel rather than from an outside schedule and as you mention I find walking something that I now choose to do as opposed to it being a chore and I enjoy feeling how this supports my body.
I am able to feel the difference in my body when I just go for a gentle potter and when I include some more energetic walking in my daily exercise. When it is only a gentle potter I enjoy the walk but return home feeling much as I did when I set off but if I include some energetic walking I return with my whole body warmed up and alive and ready for whatever I choose to do next.
I have had little realisation this week about exercise as I hadn’t done it for a week – I had walked but not actually doing some cardio and strengthening. I made myself do a short work out and I felt great and realised how much I had missed it, but was wondering why when I already knew how much I loved exercising and how good it made me feel had I let it slip. It comes down to really feeling I am worth taking the time and making the loving choices for, so I will (and it is my will) be developing my self worth and love as I am worth it!
That’s gorgeous Vanessa. I’ve also found it comes down to self worth and making the commitment to looking after me.
I have been inspired to see exercise is not the harsh and rough experience I used to think it was from school days but it can by choice be something very supportive. My job is a moderately physical one so it has made sense to me to exercise, taking away the stress of being physically unable to do certain tasks so that I am free to enjoy my work more without feeling that strain.
I used to be into my running to keep my fit and healthy ignoring the impact that it had on my body. Today I wouldn’t dream of doing it but Love every second that I take myself on a gentle walk – depending on the day depends how much of I get my heart pumping. I even have a treadmill at home for support in cold dark mornings!
Same here Michael, even though I sit at a computer! I’ve found taking the time to do some simple walking and exercise in the morning sets the tone for the rest of my day. Reading the blog and comments it reminds me how important it is to keep that up consistently.
Our health and wellbeing is in our own hands and we need to take responsibility for it. Daily loving and gently exercise is a reliable way to keep checking in and feeling your body and supporting it where ever necessary. Once I started to commit to myself and my health and wellbeing I have notice a huge difference in my vitality and the deeper I am in connecting to my body the more I get to feel what it is telling me.
I have also fallen for the same trap of feeling I am getting enough exercise at my work. But have noticed that when I walk after work it feels like I loosen up, clear away any mental or emotional fog from the day, and usually have more energy than before the walk. Your experience Jennifer inspires me to be more consistent with my walking. It tends to slip when I get caught up in other responsibilities, but is just as important as any one of those.
I used to say I was “too tired to go for a walk “, its not true.
Adding a 30 minute walk into my daily routines has given me more energy throughout the day and improved my quality of sleep.
My daily walk is very supportive in my life too and an essential part of the flow of my day being also great for my health and well being.
I have found the same thing, walking daily is essential for my health mental and physical.
Just like you, Jennifer, for a long time I only exercised if there was a goal or went for a walk if I was doing something and needed, as you say, to get from A to B. And when I started exercising I was going at it as hard as I could until I found how much better I felt with some gentle movements and with no goals. The is my new regime and how much better it is because it is now possible to appreciate me and everything around me.
I can totally relate to what you’ve said Jennifer about listening to your body whilst you’re exercising being key.
Hi Jennifer, thank you for sharing your experience of exercise and walking, I too find that doing some daily exercise is an extremely supportive part of my daily rhythm and if I don’t do anything my body misses it and acts feels more tired! It is a time when I can be with myself as well as connecting with nature.
I totally agree Jen. When I walk, I release so much of what I have been holding in my body. I come home refreshed and sometimes quite different to how I left the house.
Jen I love your blog. Thank you for reminding me of walking even when I’m tired after work. Walking to let go of all I’ve taken on in my day is awesome. I now walk to really feel what’s going on in my body and how it can be so imbalanced before my walk. And then, with walking I come back to my true alignment.
Jen. Lovely blog and your approach to good healthy exercise. Sometimes we can be lazy, and think I’ll do it tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes. When awaking in the morning I start my exercise by ensuring I am laying flat on the bed, and then move one leg up and down, and feel the pull on the calves, and the hip moving up and down. Do that a few times, and then the other leg. Be gentle with yourself, there is no rush. My exercise after that may be a walk, a little time spent gardening.
Do what ever you feel is right for your body, without straining it.
Thanks Mike I know that feeling of saying I’ll do it tomorrow. Or the feeling of being not so well and delaying the exercise. I’ve been feeling for a while that what my body really needs is some stretching and support with being more flexible and connected. Each time I do a little I feel so much better but have yet to carry this through on a daily basis. Something I will now start to explore and add in!
Thank you for this lovely blog Jen. I can feel how I sometimes come home after a long day at work and decide not to go for a walk because I am tired. Reading your blog has made me realise there will be times when a walk is exactly what my body needs to support me into my evening, even though I might be tired.
Jennifer, great blog and sharing how your approach to exercise has changed the way you live and experience life. I too have noticed a shift since letting go of old ways I used to exercise to now listening to what my body needs each day. As you say it really is enjoyable.
Thanks Jennifer for this reminder of the importance of exercise in our daily lives. I do a rather physical job so never saw the need to do any extra exercise but by doing extra exercise and building up my core muscles a little bit it has made my day easier and I’m not so tired at the end of the day.
Thank you for sharing Jennifer, yes walking is an amazing exercise and definitely better than running. I use to run 40 minutes every day for 4 years until my body said STOP! After this, my knee would be in such pain after a 10 minutes jog that I really had to stop… But walking everyday is amazing and very much like the way you described it!
Great writing about the importance of gentle exercise and walking for ones daily health, vitality and fitness and how supportive it is in our day -I find this too very much.
Walking has always been an important start to my day – as are more and more gentle stretching exercises on walking and swimming. I feel more alive and flowing in my body for the day ahead and often like to walk later also as I am on my feet all day. I find it a great support in caring for myself at all times.
I too have realised how powerful exercise is when done in connection to how your body feels. I love the feeling of being present whilst exercising. There is a definite joy in this. I also love how much more energy I have and how I can go for longer periods without the need to rest. But most of all (as you have shared) I love when I am tired how going for a walk can allow me to let go of what I have taken on during during the day if I am attentive to what my body is telling me.
My sentiments exactly, exercise is powerful and enjoyable when I am connected to how my body feels.
My body absolutely appreciates our daily walks as do I. Gentle exercise is a lovely way to nurture ourselves and can be a great support to people who are ill or elderly too. They often don’t “feel like” doing it but once they begin usually feel loads better afterwards.
Exercise had always been like the credit card – a love hate relationship for me.
Like you, Jennifer – I was completely driven by it and got no joy out of it in the slightest.
I never saw it as that way. The ‘no pain no gain’ sentiment had been drilled into my head.
So I’d find every excuse under the sun to avoid it when I could because I knew it would never feel right in my body.
But, like you – as I have changed the way I exercise, why I exercise and who for – it has made such a difference – and I now consider it a staple part of my routine. In a very supportive way. I really enjoy it because I don’t push myself to breaking point , I do it for myself and I listen to my body.
I never thought exercise could feel like that 😉
I remember when I too was nursing back in the 70s – how tired I felt after what seemed like miles of walking and thought “I’ve done enough exercise for today” and would go back to my flat. Wow If I’d read your blog then, how much more energy I would have had! Great experiment Jen; “The more I care for me, the more I can care for them.” ( ie patients in nursing care). Makes so much sense.
I love your article. It is amazing how having a slightly higher level of physical fitness can help make everything easier, and walking is the most beneficial exercise ever. I read an article the other day from Dr James Brown, who revealed a magic pill that would prevent obesity and diabetes, combats ageing, prevents premature death, lowers the risk of some cancers and relieves depression and anxiety, reduce the risk of hip fracture 40% and increases mobility – except it’s not a pill, it’s walking for half an hour a day!
Hello Rebecca, I remember reading about the exact same topic on my way to work. It really amazed me how many benefits there are of just taking a half hour walk a day!
Very beautiful blog Jennifer particularly the last bit “the more I care for me, the more I can care for them”. It is so true. The more love you have for yourself the more you can truly love others. I never liked sport except for Cross Country Skiing (which I don’t do anymore finding it now too hard for my body) but always loved walking. Living in the countryside I have plenty of opportunity for that. In addition to the exercise you get from it you have the additional bonus of being outside in nature and notice the change of seasons. It is really lovely.
This is gorgeous. I love it. I love the light you shine on the difference between the walking you do for exercise and self care and the walking you do at work. That is so important. You blog has put a spring in my step too. Thank you.
So good to hear how regular walking made such a difference to your work. It was also really interesting to read that simply going for a walk each day enabled you to let go of what you had taken on during your shift, and therefore start the next one without that burden, either for you or for those you care for. It’s amazing how big a difference small things can make. So often we can feel defeated, or unable to change things in our lives, and yet you have shown that consistency in making a relatively small change can bring about big changes.
A great blog Jennifer – I love your realisation that “It’s all about listening to my body and doing exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel” and from there how your fitness levels have changed so much .
Yes Jennifer the only way is to experiment using your body as the marker of is this true or not, do I feel better or not. I too didn’t use to exercise daily with a walk or cardio and realised how much it helps me feel really ready for the day. I haven’t been much this week and are falling into a pattern of I don’t need that or have time for that, aka time for me! So revealing when we reflect on our day or week. The body always lets you know, I feel less clarity about my day if I haven’t taken that time for me and my body. Great to read this and put two and two together. With that I am going for a walk : ).
Thank you Jennifer, it’s easy to convince ourselves that we don’t need to exercise or that there’s something else more important to do, how many times have I fallen for that one! I like to walk part way through my day as it gives me time to get up from my desk and let my body move with a certain rhythm, I can feel how our bodies actually
l o v e to move!
I love walking Jennifer and your article is a great read, thank you. When we convince ourselves we are too tired to go for a walk, and then we do, the realities of how beneficial to our well being walking is, is truly felt
Great inspiration Jennifer. I often get home from an early shift believing I am too tired to think of exercising…but the days that I do exercise after work I am surprised at how different I feel. As you say it is a wonderful opportunity for the body to let go of what we have taken on during the day…and then we don’t take that any further with us into our sleep etc. A great way to take responsibility for ourselves.
I can relate to this blog but from the other side. I used to be heavily into exercise and used to push my body way too hard, again because I was disconnected from it and could not fully feel the harm I was doing. It is so easy for me to under or over-exercise when I am cut off from my body and being driven by my mind, either to relive some kind of tension or stress or as some kind of distraction or numbness from an issue or dilemma. I am slowly re-learning how to exercise gently and with the upmost respect for my body rather than using it as a dumping ground and it feels so different and very supportive.
Thanks Jennifer, its a great reminder that we take on stuff and then don’t want to move around and feel it…but this is what helps to clear it and keep us vital.
What great timing that I have come across this blog this morning. I have a full on schedule today at work and could already feel the dread of wondering how I was going to fit in my loved daily walk. Off I go! Thanks for the inspiration of how this was going to support me in the day.
An inspiring blog Jennifer – thank you for sharing. I feel so much clearer in myself when enjoying ‘walking with me’ in a gentle way – even the sound of my footsteps reflect how I am feeling and what I may be holding within that is unnecessary.
I love to start the day with gentle stretching movements before I get out of bed. This makes a huge difference to how I feel throughout the day. I do quite a bit of gardening and I feel I am more agile since starting my stretching programme.
I have read this blog several times and it inspired me deeply. Yesterday I had a big physically demanding day at work and I could feel how tired I was. And I remembered this blog and decided that I would go for a walk. The shift in how I was feeling started happening already on the moment I made this choice. I went for a walk and felt more energised to complete the other commitments I had for the evening: shopping and cooking dinner for my family. And as Natalie mentioned above, I also slept easier. Thank you Jennifer.
Hi Jennifer, after reading your blog I was inspired to experiment with my walk. I too noticed how I could feel what I had taken on during the day showing in tightness in various parts of my body and when I acknowledged the areas of tightness I was able to let go and my body felt lighter and I felt I slept easier.
I’ve been different with my walks too, Natalie, and have incorporated them into my working day, as I move around the various sites I visit. And I am finding that I get less tired, and when walking through a busy factory/office etc, I feel more connected, like a little (NO-BIG!) ray of sunshine, look people I meet in the eye, and smile. It makes my day!
I love exercising, in days gone I used to push myself and it felt terrible. Now I walk every day, swim and do various exercises at home and I have felt such an enormous difference in how I feel. I like the idea of walking after work to release any tensions from the day – sounds like a great idea and very supportive, thank you.
Thank you Jennifer! I have been exercising everyday for the last 5 years, walking, push ups and seat ups but not jogging any longer and I can really feel a positive change. My left knee doesn’t hurt any more since I stopped running and my body doesn’t feel as hard as it use to.
Thanks for this Jennifer. I can easily use the excuse that I am too tired to go for a walk after work, but I know when I do make the time, I benefit hugely. You have inspired me to make more of a commitment to myself to go for a walk after work.
Yes, I like the idea of walking later in the day to help feel and release what you may have taken on that day.
It is about making time for myself, which comes back to feeling that I deserve making loving choices for me, which helps to develop my self worth.
I love your blog Jennifer Smith. It feels real and very inspiring.
I recently put myself on an experiment and it was to do a walk AFTER work. Now that went against everything I had set in my mind and believed in. My excuses were all lined up but I did it and was a bit surprised. I had little need to eat and feel bloated and instead had a more steadiness about me. I had some deep quality sleeps and for the first time ever I stopped doing the clock watch thing.
The walk felt complete and supported me during a time when my workloads got super busy. Today I adjust and go more with my body and use it as a compass.
My experiment this past week has been walking in Appreciation of me, what I bring to this world and what another Amazing day I have had.
Perfect timing Jennifer, I’m starting to engage with exercise again after long periods not doing it and I can feel the difference when I do and really notice how stuck I can get and feel when I don’t. It was lovely to read of your experience and experiment – thank you.
I love re-reading this blog Jen. I am active too in my work and previously thought that that would keep me fit. I’m not sitting at a computer all day like some folk, so I didn’t feel I needed to exercise too. But I’ve realised that I wasn’t supporting myself to maintain that fitness to work, so there was no looking after myself involved with that at all. So when I started some regular exercises, I soon saw where I have some weaknesses, my core stability and my upper arm strength were pretty non existent. So I’m getting into a pattern of exercises in a routine to support my body. It’s great, because it’s not a class where I go to, and go at the pace of others. I am master of my routine of exercises, at the pace and time that suits me.
This is an inspiring article to feel how we are with ourselves when we exercise. There is more to going for a walk than just going for a walk.
It seems to be it is often that initial resistance to exercise that really holds us back from experiencing the benefits of being active. When I say I am tired and don’t want to walk I have to ask if it is really tiredness or a lethargy that is not supporting me to exercise and gain the benefits of doing so. Our bodies are very good at telling us if it isn’t right for us so I have found it is better to start then stop if needed, than not do it at all. Also, in walking, I am always amazed at how my body finds the speed that is right for it at the time, too fast or too slow becomes very obvious.
Great article Jennifer. By sharing your personal experience in gentle, loving and ‘unforceful’ way you do, truly invites one to follow your example.
There is something so sweet and powerful about saying; ‘It’s all about listening to my body and doing exercise that supports me at the pace that I feel’, and that by starting from here with everything we do, whether it is exercise, hanging up the washing or moving around the kitchen, we support and confirm a loving relationship with ourselves that connects us to everyone.
What a great sharing Jennifer. Showing how caring for yourself with exercise has proven to be so supportive to your day, your work and caring for others. A lovely example of how supportive exercise done lovingly can be.
Thanks for your blog. It’s revealed a new understanding of the power of walking, particularly how a walk reflects back to us how we have been living our day and supports the release of that impact on the body. Such a simple, no-cost approach to caring for our well being.
What a great blog, thanks Jennifer. I too have found that taking a walk each day (either outside or on a treadmill) supports me immensely, physically and emotionally.
With the teachings of the Ageless Wisdom, presented by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, I am constantly inspired to review and refine my daily rhythm and the choices I make. I am always learning, and my body (and the signs and symptoms it shares) is one of my greatest teachers.
Very true Matilda thanks for sharing – I’ll be taking “my body (and the signs and symptoms it shares) is one of my greatest teachers.” into my day…
Hi Jennifer, thanks for your timely reminder, I had increased my walking recently to include morning lunchtime and evening walks and specifically for me as Jess said a purpose-full walk but then I got busy! they dropped off to maybe just a lunchtime walk or the odd evening walk here and there and your blog reminded me I haven’t been committed to continuing the care for me which was so supportive.
I have started to exercise very gently in the way you have described and it feels great, but I haven’t walked regularly at the end of my day… with the excuse like you had of I am too tired. But I feel inspired now to make that commitment and make it part of my evening ritual.
It’s interesting I really felt to walk yesterday after work but was very tired and overrode this impulse. How lovely to reread this blog this morning as a gentle reminder of a commitment I made but haven’t stuck too! hummmm Time to change that today!
I am feeling inspired to try out your experiment of walking after work and a great reminder of how supportive walking can be at different times of the day. Thank you:)
Thank you Jennifer for a great reflection. Previously I used to walk with a purpose of walking the dog, getting from a to b, posting a letter, but never for supporting myself.
I know the feeling too when I’ve got a few consecutive very busy days with work planned, I can go into ‘I haven’t enough time to look after me’. But I’ve been experimenting recently with different exercise at different times of the day to see which is more supportive to me. Early morning, I can do some gentle exercises in 10-20 minutes and a 5 minute walk outside which sets up my connection to me at the start of the day. Later, it might be a longer walk to re-connect and feel how the day went. The great thing is that I’m learning the flexibility of feeling to do what my body feels to do at that moment, and realising just how supportive this simple thing is for myself. .
‘The great thing is that I’m learning the flexibility of feeling to do what my body feels to do at that moment’. Great point, Gill. It’s core to why we otherwise so readily duck out of exercising – when we make our exercise rhythm into a regime, around a specific time, day of the week, or a specific distance to cover or number of reps to sweat through and not about how the body feels that day, that hour. Once we take all that structure and imposition away, walking or gentle exercising becomes a loving, nurturing way of living with the body. When we treat our body as a machine to be put in ‘exercise mode’, is it any wonder we can’t keep it up?
This feels so true for me Jennifer, and yes, Janet, if I miss going for a walk just for me I really feel the difference. The way I exercise and feel and use my body has been a lifelong interest for me, and I have been through many belief systems — ballet, mime, the Alexander technique – (I would never have gone near a gym”!), Tai Ji, — all techniques with rules and pressures, even when intended not to be. But now, from the teachings of Universal Medicine, I feel looser and fitter than I have ever been, and using the gym as a tool for me to feel what my body needs and be gentle with it has helped me to gain stamina and muscle tone after two hip replacements. And I love the daily walk for myself, just for that purpose, it refreshes and enlivens me.
Dear Jennifer, I love this blog and couldn’t agree more. Walking is a great way to re-connect and feel what has been taken on during the day. Recently I was unable to exercise for a few days, and I could feel how much my body missed it. I never would have gone walking in the past if I felt tired or a bit off, but nowadays I also feel that it is the best daily medicine.
This blog is a great reminder of how supportive regular exercise is. In particular I love the way you highlight how beneficial it is when you are already tired from a day of taking on everything around you. It allows you to let that all go, and then you start to feel yourself again.
Walking is an amazing exercise, I like you didn’t like running as my knees would suffer every time I tried to run, but through Universal Medicine and the presentations from Serge Benhayon I have really begun to enjoy walking and how much it can support the body and release the pressure of the day, so your experiment was very confirming. It is amazing how something as simple and gentle as walking can support us through the day and in our work place.
Jennifer, I love how you could feel that you had taken on the day by how your body felt. Very lovely.
Hi Jen, this is a great sharing – simple and loving and clear. It is so lovely to exercise in a way that energises us and allows us to let go of what we may have taken on during the day, in whatever our work may be. And it is great to develop a rhythm of working and exercising that allow us to be fit for our work, so that we can work a full day without feeling exhausted at the end of it.
Thank you for your inspiring writing and saying what i have found out also about gentle exercise with the purpose to support me in all I do. I am walking and on my feet most of the day and get very tired on my legs and found that a regular exercise walk with focus even if 10 minutes supports me enormously to be on my feet and just have a lovely day knowing I have done something for me. A real positive at any time. And espcially also when having a day of not being active but sitting or travelling.
Beautiful Jen, its such an inspiration and I can truly feel how much energy you have for caring for your patients since taking on caring for yourself with the lifestyle changes and gentle exercise and as you say, not trying to be something you are not. It feels amazing to then walk after work and feel your body posture and then release any issues you have taken on from the shift – a great idea and thank you taking the time to share it.
I thought I didn’t need to exercise, as I am very active, and live in a 5 story house on a steep hill. This has changed my mind Jen, thanks, a gentle walk on the flat will be factored into my day!
thanks Jen – great idea to go walking after a shift. I often think I don’t have the time to go for a walk – but when I do I feel so much better for it – time to make that commitment to doing it regularly and making sure I have the space for it!
Eunice I resonate with you completely, It is time for me to make that space to go for a walk after work and make it part of my daily rhythm.
Such an awesome blog, I loved how you showed that building a simple rhythm can support you to enjoy a period that is “usually viewed with dread” in your profession. An inspiration
An true inspiration
Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing that taking exercise can be an opportunity to develop and deepen our relationship with our bodies rather than as a way to achieve a goal (honed body, avoidance of illness, fitness etc), that it can be super fun, playful and sweet and that done whilst listening attentively to our bodies means that it supports us rather than exhausts us….super cool.
Amazing Jennifer. I can completely relate to the importance and advantages of exercise – a regular morning routine and rhythm has been the biggest support to me especially through school (which can be extremely chaotic).
This is a great blog, I too have noticed the benefits of my morning stretch, lunch time walk and gentle stretches before bed and if I decide I am too tired to or can’t be bothered, then I can feel it the next day. I am going to start walking after work and see how I go – thanks for the inspiration Jennifer.
Brilliant Jennifer, this is so lighthearted and makes exercise sound like FUN. After being an exercise fanatic I have only returned to exercise again at the gym 3 weeks ago after a 10 year absence AND I AM loving it and the aliveness I feel in my body by going at my own pace.
Hi Jennifer, I can relate to that feeling of being too tired and busy to exercise, but my recent experience has been that exercising actually supports me to deal with my hectic schedule, and when i don’t, I feel more drained and tired and less aware of my body. I see my gentle exercise program as a loving part of my daily routine.
Yes, me too Debra.
Hi Jen, what an inspiring blog, I loved reading it again having read it some time ago.
What a great article on exercise, showing how accessible and energising it can be for everyone, thank you Jen
Thanks for sharing this, a great read today as I find any excuse not to exercise! Time to try that experiment for a week and see how I go!
I love this blog because of the gentle way it’s written. Likewise because of how this topic transcends every job and workplace. Great words Jennifer
Thank you Jennifer this is an awesome reminder that fitness when done wisely has so many benefits. Your blog rings so true to me. I have been swimming in the mornings and sometimes I can convince myself that I am to tired but I am always pleasantly surprised when I do go then I can feel more ready and alert for my day.
HI Jen, I spoke to you before about sharing your wonderful article on my facebook page, “What I wish I knew about nursing” and you kindly said, yes, which was brilliant, thank you for that. The other thing is I am starting a new magazine (on apple newsstand) for nurses, predominately about the need for greater self care and self compassion and would love to reproduce this article there. It would be a perfect fit and would allow my 50K nurses to see your wise and much needed advice. Would you be open to that? Thanks Jen. Please email me allie@whatiwishiknew.com and start the conversation. Thanks so much. I really appreciate your time.
Hi Jennifer Smith
Thanks for the great advice. Exercise is good for health. Exercise is the miracle cure we’ve always had, but we’ve neglected to take our recommended dose for too long.
Hi Jennifer, What a great article! I too fell into a state of low fitness. I joined the gym again recently, and I have been enjoying it and the greater aerobic fitness and strength I have gained. I feel more vital at work, having made the morning commitment to my workout. My workouts are very internally aware and focussed; the most wonderful antidote to the boredom people normally describe at the gym! I have no set goals, no end point in mind, other than working out in a way that feels great.
I love that you have shared the way this self-care has made you a more caring and responsive nurse. What a blessing you are to the profession, and the patients who receive all of you everyday at work…even day seven of a long run of shifts.
Rachel I also have no set goal or end point in mind when I exercise. This means the whole experience feels lighter with no pressure. I’m sure this is what has enable me to sustain my current way of exercising every day for over a year. When I was pushing hard and driving myself I would always give up after a week or two and then do nothing for months.
Completely agree Rachel… I too find that doing exercise in the morning sets the foundation for my day, and if I do not allow the space or time to do it, I feel just that one step behind and everything can seem a challenge.
Your experience of gentle exercise shows how the fitness industry generally has got it so wrong about what exercise is and the intensity it needs to be done at, Jennifer.
I had a lightbulb moment as I was reading your words ‘I had been taking on all of the events, issues and emotions of the day and perhaps what I needed to do was actually walk after work.’ I realised that I too have been ‘taking on the day’. Going for a walk and letting it all go would be heaps more supportive than comforting myself with a cup of tea when I get home from work. Thanks for opening my eyes to what I have been refusing to see.
Hi Jennifer, I have also been surprised at how I can be quite tired after work, and if I take myself for a walk when feeling this way I actually feel revitalised after the walk, where as if I do not go for a walk I feel tired and in a slump and tend to eat foods that do not support me.
Thank you for sharing your experience with walking after your shift, Jennifer. Most of the days I am walking before my morning shifts ( I work as a community nurse/care worker ). But I know the feeling after my work of taking on issues etc from my clients. So I definitely will do my own experiment with walking after my morning shifts.
And yes, the more I care for me, the more I can care for them.
Thanks for sharing. I can so relate. I have worked as a waitress for years and felt like I had walked for miles by the end of my shifts. The last thing I wanted to do after a shift was walk more.
I thought I was fit until I went to my first gentle exercise class and realised just how unfit I am. It really exposed my lack of strength and since then I have slowly been exercising to the point where I love it. I love waking up and taking the time to stretch and feel my body. It has made huge differences in my life and my energy levels.
I know all too well the dreaded 7 shifts straight situation for many nurses. I was also caught in the belief that I get enough exercise walking at work….. yet when I looked more closely, I could see this was false, I was unfit and so were many around me in similar walking orientated professions. So this is fantastic, what a simple way to let go of the day, by taking a conscious walk afterwards. I know the hospital environment is intense at times, so I too will be letting go of the day with a gentle walk post work.
I find it interesting how the quality of how I feel at the end of the day is very different depending on whether I have walked by coincidence (for example needing to walk to the shops), or if it has been a purposeful walk to take care of myself
Brilliant, Jess, thank you. Highlighting the clear difference between walking by coincidence and walking with purpose. The miracles that occur when we allow the opportunity to deepen our relationship with ourselves rather than just get somewhere to do something.
Great point Jess.
Yes, a great point Jess.
Thank you Jennifer for your great advice. Having rejoined a gym myself recently after many years away from regular exercise, I’ve found the experience much different and more satisfying than before. A while back I asked Curtis Benhayon about exercising (let’s face it, he’s pretty buff) and he suggested to simply lift or exercise within myself, so I’ve taken his advice. I’ve also noticed that I’ve dropped the idea of trying to impress others by exercising frantically and instead focus on what’s right for my body at the time. This way I don’t know what the routine will be until I get there and it’s far more enjoyable.
I loved this blog Jen , thankyou , with love Jade