Whether you’ve fallen off from a workout routine or consider yourself a gym rat, it’s worth being thoughtful about your view on exercise. Do you look at every bit of movement as a step in the right direction? Or do you only give yourself a pat on the back if you spend two hours pushing yourself to your physical limits?
Thrive Global founder and CEO Arianna Huffington and head of content development Marina Khidekel joined Peloton instructor Chase Tucker to talk through perspectives and the power of movement, and discuss how Thrive’s new book can help us find more meaningful ways to move our bodies.
Here are some highlights from their conversation:
Marina on the “micro” in Microsteps:
“There really is something important about the micro aspect of a Microstep — it’s that smallness that helps us get past all the excuses that we make for ourselves. I have to confess: I have not been doing a very good job at regularly working out for the past few weeks. I’ve fallen off the wagon. And I told myself, just start small. So, I would take a walk and when I did it, I could say, ‘I did something for myself today.’ One of my favorite Microsteps is after you do a workout or any kind of movement, take a moment and think: ‘I showed up for myself today. I did this for myself.’ It doesn’t have to be spending two hours in the gym or anything like that. It can be, ‘Today I did 11 jumps squats.’ I say 11, because I did count, I did 11 jump squats. And at first, I was like, ‘Don’t feel guilty that you should be doing more. You did 11 jump squats.’”
Chase on the most underrated form of exercise:
“Walking is the single most underrated form of movement ever. People automatically think about fitness, wellness, movement… and they think gym, crazy workouts. No, go on a walk!”
Marina on reframing short bursts of movement:
“You don’t have to do two-and-a-half hours on a treadmill watching ‘Bridgerton’ to get a good workout. We have so much science in the book and so many great Microsteps about short bursts of movement and reframing how we think about them. If you think of exercise as, ‘I’ve got to spend hours in the gym,’ it’s going to feel overwhelming. But if you think about it as sneaking a little bit more movement into your day, it can have incredible benefits. One of my favorite Microsteps is to take a one-minute stretch break in between meetings. Stretching increases blood flow, it increases creativity. It gives you a feeling of control.”
Chase on the gratitude practice that roots all of his workouts:
“You can ask anyone when they take my class: Nine times out of 10, I start the class with rooting ourselves in gratitude. Even if it’s something as simple and silly-sounding as the fact that we have a body that’s able to walk. Not everybody has that luxury or ability. Let’s acknowledge that fact. And I feel like starting any kind of movement, any kind of practice, from a place of, ‘I’m already so blessed. I’m already in possession of things that I would sorely miss if they were missing tomorrow.’ This isn’t a practice to make myself worthy of more. It’s simply a practice that’s creating more of what I already love and attracting more of that to me.”
Arianna on building a foundation of Microsteps:
“Everything is interconnected. If you’re sleep-deprived, you are less likely to work out and your workout is going to be less powerful and effective. So for me, sleep is foundational. When you get enough sleep, everything else is better. Your body doesn’t crave all the carbs and bad sugars that it does when you’re sleep-deprived. You’re less reactive and better able to deal with whatever life throws your way…My favorite Sleep Microstep is to pick a time at the end of the day that you declare the end of your working day, because there is no real end. So you have to declare it.”