Mental Health & Movement
“When you exercise, it increases endorphins, dopamine, adrenaline and endocannabinoid — these are all brain chemicals associated with feeling happy, feeling confident, feeling capable, feeling less anxiety and stress and even less physical pain.” — Dr. Kelly McGonical
Dr. Kelly McGonigal is a psychologist and author of books such as The Willpower Instinct and The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage.
Her mission: “My mission, as an author, psychologist, and educator, is to make this easier. To help each of us find our own strength and the courage to lift one another up. To amplify what is good in humanity, and to support the communities that bring out the best in us.”
In her most recent book, The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage, McGonigal blends the data of science and the heart of story telling to show “how movement is intertwined with some of the most basic human joys, including self-expression, social connection, and mastery, and why it is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.”
McGonigal tells stories that align with all of the pillars of Womeness: mindfulness, movement and community. Stories of people who have felt empowered through movement that span from communities across the globe, “from Tanzania, where one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes on the planet live, to a dance class at Juilliard for people with Parkinson’s disease, to the streets of London, where volunteers combine fitness and community service, to races in the remote wilderness, where athletes push the limits of what a human can endure.” This book goes beyond the typical reasons to embrace movement and illustrates why “movement is integral to both our happiness and our humanity.” Start to feel empowered and joy in movement by joining us hiking, rafting, dancing, skating, waking, and many other forms of movement through Womeness in the Wilderness!
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