Why Movement Matters
Did you know the average adult sits for nine to ten hours a day? Some researchers now suggest that sitting is becoming as concerning as smoking. Not because sitting is harmful in the same way, but because long stretches of stillness affect both physical and emotional health.
Even five minutes of movement can shift your nervous system, increase blood flow to your brain, and begin to lift your mood. Yet most of us do not move nearly as much as our bodies need.
This is why, early in therapy, I often ask a question people do not expect.
How much do you move throughout the day?
Your Body and Mind Are Deeply Connected
Many people assume emotional struggles live only in the mind. But your brain is part of your body. It depends on your nervous system, your hormones, your circulation, your sleep, and your energy levels.
Movement does not just strengthen muscles. Movement supports emotional health.
Purposeful movement can:
• increase blood flow to the part of the brain responsible for emotional regulation
• boost dopamine and serotonin, which support mood and motivation
• lower cortisol, the body’s stress hormone
• help your system shift out of overwhelm or shutdown
Movement helps create the internal conditions needed for clarity, resilience, and emotional steadiness.
The Emotional Cost of Being Sedentary
Most of us sit far more than we realize. Work, commuting, screens, and evenings spent recovering from exhaustion add up quickly.
A sedentary lifestyle is strongly linked to:
• lower mood
• increased anxiety
• difficulty concentrating
• higher fatigue
• feeling emotionally stuck or flat
• trouble sleeping
When clients describe feeling heavy, foggy, overwhelmed, or unmotivated, one of the first things we explore is the amount of movement present in their daily routine. Often, the two are closely connected.
Movement Can Be Simple and Ordinary
When therapists ask about movement, we are not asking about intense workouts or ambitious routines.
Movement can be gentle, simple, and a natural part of everyday life.
It might look like:
• a short walk around the block
• stretching between meetings
• standing up during part of your workday
• doing a few chores
• shaking out your hands or shoulders after stress
• ten seconds of jumping in place
• taking your dog outside
• reaching your arms overhead and taking a slow breath
Small moments of movement remind your body that it can reset.
Why I Ask About Movement Early in Therapy
Movement is often one of the first areas we explore in therapy. Not because it replaces deeper work, and not because it solves everything, but because it supports every other part of the process.
A clear pattern emerges for many people. When someone feels anxious, overwhelmed, or disconnected, movement often decreases. When movement decreases, emotional distress often increases.
Reintroducing gentle movement helps create a stronger foundation for the deeper therapeutic work. A regulated and responsive body makes emotional healing more accessible.
Start Where You Are
You do not need a dramatic routine. You do not need a perfect plan or strong motivation.
Begin with something very small.
Stand up once an hour.
Take a few steps after lunch.
Stretch before bed.
Sometimes healing begins with simply moving a little more than you did the day before.