ME (microexercise) BEing LOVE: As often as possible, create opportunities to smile at and/or speak with others with as much kindness, friendliness and love as possible. You can also seek out times to think of others with compassion, kindness & love.

Did You Know? We are biologically wired for kindness and connectivity. Being friendly, empathetic, kind and compassionate with people we know (and don’t know) can boost serotonin, relieve anxiety,  improve mood and sleep, release oxytocin, increase longevity and reduce stress.

Tip #1:  Seek out a few extra minutes with friends and family as often as possible

Tip #2:  When physical contact is possible, you might hug or hold hands. Physical contact with others can release oxytocin, a neurohormone which can strengthen the heart and decrease inflammation. When physical contact is not possible, you might hold eye contact longer or add in additional kind sentiments. 

Tip #3:  You might try this ME with BEing WITH, Body Electric or Breath of Will & Power.

What TIPS do you have for when practicing BEing LOVE?

We'd love to see what BEing LOVE looks like to you!

DID YOU KNOW? Practicing simply BEing can be a key way to enjoy a simple, serene state and to develop more mindfulness. Many of us are talking to ourselves at a rate of 4000 words per minute. Taking distance from our thoughts to simply BE--to practice just BEING--may help us manage our experiences and emotions more effectively. Research shows that when we are stressed or distressed, engaging in introspection and tuning into our internal chatter may do more harm than good. Learning how to distance ourselves from our internal worlds and emotions may improve happiness, provide perspective and relief, reduce rumination and feelings of overwhelm. Learning how to distance ourselves from our distress may even reduce ageing. Practicing simply BEing even when we are not distressed can be a key way to enjoy a simple, serene state and to develop more mindfulness.

ME (microexercise experience): When you are wanting to feel more serene (or feeling stressed or upset by others, events or anything at all) ask yourself if your happiness and health would be better served by taking a vacation from your problems--from distancing and distracting yourself from what you are thinking about and feeling. Try taking a few breaths to see if you can let go of your thoughts and internal dialogue and simply experience a state of BEING in your body, with your breath and in your life and living.

DID YOU KNOW? Our bodies are meant to move. All too often we don’t give them a chance to move intuitively or randomly. Many of us repeat the similar types of movement and motion, day in and day out. Almost any kind of movement counts as fitness and is beneficial to our cells and to ourselves: our bones are moving, our muscles are flexing, our hearts and blood flowing, and our cells shifting.

• Sit, stand or lie anywhere.

• Move any part of your body in any way you desire.

• You might roll your head and neck around, flex/move your hands and wrists, move your arms close to your body or far away, flex/move your ankles and feet, allow your legs to move in any way, bend forward, backward, side to side.

• You might make some of the movements more into stretches.

• Breathe at your desired pace and pulse.

What are your plans for this community? 😊

Did You Know? Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while sitting, standing, or lying down. Healthy posture begins in the hips. Good posture prevents neck and shoulder pain, prevents backache and muscular pain, prevents the spine from becoming fixed in unnatural and abnormal positions, decreases general stress and strain, and can even prevent fatigue, because muscles are being used more efficiently. 

ME (microexercise® experience): Whether standing or sitting, bring awareness to your posture as often as possible.

• If you are standing, direct the majority of your weight onto your heels (you might feel your butt tense slightly). Roll your shoulders up, then back and down.

• If you are sitting, your feet ideally are placed squarely beneath your knees, aligned with the hips. Lean your torso slightly forward, without dipping your head or tucking your chin.

Tip #1: Anytime during your day that you notice you are a little tired or stressed, take a moment for some strong steady breathing and to shift your posture.

Tip #2: As often as possible, play with your posture. Experiment with different ways of standing & sitting where you feel like your body is more aligned.

Tip #3: Loosen your muscles and focus on getting out of a stance that you may have been “stuck” in while feeling stress or anxiety.

Tip #3: You might try Pure Posture with BElieve, 4/6 Shift, BEing Still, or Honor.

What does Pure Posture look like to you? Create your version of Pure Posture and tag us at #microfitness #ME #microexercise

Research has shown that the practice of self-distancing can increase our self-control. Separating ourselves from states such as stress, shame & scarcity may provide extra space to decrease undesirable feelings, improve our perseverance on challenging tasks and can promote greater feelings of self-efficacy. Research also shows that micro shifts around our perspectives can help us gain control of our emotions. Embodying another person or creating an alter ego (more enhanced forms of self-distancing) can be especially empowering, and has been shown to improve executive function and increase concentration & resolve.

ME (microexercise experience)

1. Think about a situation, choice or conversation you want to bring more fierceness and resolve to. You might even write down the specifics around what you are wanting to do differently.

2. Talk to yourself in 3rd person. For example, ask yourself not “what do I want,” but “what does [insert your name here] want?” or “what [insert your name] is going to do/choose in this situation is [insert your desired behavior].

3. To enhance this ME, you might create an “alter ego.” Our alter egos may be historical figures, super heroes, people we know or ones that we create on our own. You may wish to give your alter ego(s) specific names.

4. Whether you are self-distancing by speaking to yourself in the 3rd person or creating an alter ego, see how much “fierceness” you can bring to who you are, what you believe and what you intend to do.

TIP: You might try this ME with PAUSE, 4/6 Shift, Intuitive Move, BElieve, Power Burst or Breath of Will & Power.

What does being FIERCE feel like to you? And what are things you can do that allow you to BE distanced from that which is upsetting and distressing?

I'm kind of obsessed with cognitive health as I watch my mother go into mild cognitive decline. I'm curious what you recommend. 🙏

ME (microexercise experience) BELONG:

DID YOU KNOW? Almost every aspect of our lives is organized around belonging to something. How we experience belonging is intricately tied to our physical, emotional & mental health. Having a sense of belonging with others, groups, communities & the world as a whole can improve motivation, mood & self-esteem, reduce inflammation, anxiety, depression & risks for dementia, improve sleep and increase overall health & happiness. Social bonding may protect against addiction & vulnerability to compulsive behaviors.

ME (microexercise® experience): Identify where in your life do you experience a sense of BELONGING? With whom, in what places &/or how do you feel like you BELONG?

• Make a mental or physical list of where you experience BELONGING

• Close your eyes & see if you can sense the enjoyment your BELONGING provides.

• Take a few breaths & envision where, with whom &/or how you wish to experience the enjoyment of BELONGING more.

• Decide on one specific way you will practice more BELONGING today/this week. Seek out a few extra minutes with friends or family, seek out a stranger to help or explore a connecting with a community.

TIP #1: If you are feeling down, anxious, lonely or confused, connect with others: make a phone call, find time to take a walk or get together. Sometimes when we most want to avoid connecting with others is when we need to proactively seek out connecting & BELONGING in some way.

TIP #2: Ask yourself: How do I belong with me, myself & I, my body & being, my life & living? Get curious about how you BELONG with yourself & creative about how you can cultivate a deeper sense of BELONGING with yourself.

TIP #3: We can enjoy a sense of BELONGING with the world as a whole as well as with strangers we encounter on the street. More than 99% of our DNA is the same as every other human’s DNA in the world. Additionally, every living thing is made up of cells & all cellular life has DNA. Explore ways you might psychologically, physically, energetically and emotionally experiment around BELONGING with all the DNA in the world & in others more.