Shake It Off Podcast – Episode 2

KENDRA: Welcome to shake it off a podcast that gives you the tools, strategies and stories to optimize and prioritize your physical and mental health.

LAUREN: Welcome back to shake it off. Today, we’re talking about Your Daily 30, which is Kendra’s project to encourage people to incorporate 30 minutes of exercise into their day. And in my opinion, I think this topic is so important right now, because everyone is living more sedentary lives. And so many people are working and interacting online, especially those like myself who work from home. So Kendra, where does the 30 minute recommendation come from? Like, why not 10 minutes or maybe 20 minutes if we’re recommending that amount of time for physical activity.

KENDRA: So the Mayo Clinic actually recommends that as a general goal to aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every single day.

LAUREN: 30 minutes, I feel like feels like a lot especially for somebody who might be going from not working out at all, or not moving a lot to just wanting to get started.

KENDRA: It’s definitely a large goal to aim for. But it’s also important to remember that any activity is better than none at all. But most important is making regular physical activity part of your lifestyle. And another thing too is reducing sitting time is equally as important. The more hours you sit each day, the higher risk you have of certain metabolic problems. And on top of that sitting too much can negatively impact your overall health and longevity, even if you get the recommended amount of daily physical activities. So some research has found that people who’ve lost weight might be more likely to keep off the loss weight by sitting less during the day.

LAUREN: I’ve actually heard that it’s more dangerous than smoking in regards to the cardiovascular and cancer risk. So that sitting is actually more dangerous than smoking when you look at like the risk factors.

KENDRA: Absolutely. And, as you mentioned, probably now more than ever, people are sitting more often. And what happens is, you know, when you’re sitting, your organs will compress, including, specifically your lungs. So therefore getting up from your chair, and just simply bringing your arms overhead and breathing is so incredibly helpful.

LAUREN: I’m right now correcting my posture, because I know you’re the best reminder for me and making sure that I’m sitting in aligned way. And I’m breathing.

KENDRA: And like I said, you know, in today’s day and age, we’re just we’re sitting so much more. And it’s so important to know that getting up from your chair and incorporating those moments in time throughout your day, that you’re walking around the office or walking around your home. And just try not to sit as much.

LAUREN: Yeah, so can you tell us more about Your Daily 30 Because I’m really interested and admire what you’re doing with Your Daily 30. And I see it so many times now that I’m back in the States, especially with family members and that sort of thing, where I would like to encourage them to do daily 30 exercise. So I love this project that you’re working on.

KENDRA: Thank you, I yeah, I’ve been inspired to encourage people to find their 30 minutes of exercise every day. So you know, as we mentioned, just that 30 minutes of physical activity can really reduce the risk of heart diseases by up to 35%. It helps to keep you fit and flexible, and it also improves your overall health and well being. And so I thought a helpful way to support this would be to provide Pilates videos. So people can easily access ways to move not only mindfully but safely. And also just to receive to receive the full bodied benefits of Pilates.

LAUREN: During COVID, I did Kendra’s online pilates class, and so these videos that are now in Your Daily 30 and her program would be similar to the things that I experienced during COVID when I did her online pilates class. And it was honestly the my favorite part of the week, because she just engages with you and your muscle, every single muscle group in a really mindful way. And it seems like subtle little movements that you make that you do not even realize have such a big impact on everything from your core to your glute muscles to just how you’re experiencing pain and walking throughout the day. So I’m so excited about this.

KENDRA: Thank you. Yeah, it’s it’s definitely something that I’m very passionate about. And the good thing about pilates in particular is that everyone can do it. It’s Something that, you know, if you’re 93 years old, it’s so beneficial for you. I mean, it’s just it’s such a broad spectrum of, of individuals that can partake in these movements. And I just find that Pilates is such a great way to build strength, like you could be, like you said in those muscle groups that you just forget that you have, and also promotes the flexibility in the body. And not only that, but it just enhances that mind body connection, which I believe is so vital to everyone. And as you mentioned, that’s, you know, within my classes, I make a point to mention those elements of ensuring that you are connecting with your mind, with the body and vice versa. So, you know, for me being more mind body aware will ensure that you move more mindfully throughout the day, which thus encourages more overall healthy movement patterns. Which then decreases your chances of injuries. Which, working in the Pilates studios, I see a lot of injuries, and I believe a lot of them can be avoided if we put into practice these self awareness, body movements that can be taught and utilized on a day to day perspectives.

LAUREN: Yeah, it’s so interesting. So I’m really excited about this, everyone should stay tuned for the Your Daily 30, which will be on Kendra’s website, and you’ll be able to get access to that. And I just wanted to say about that with this, like mind body connection, it’s it’s really, from what I’ve learned from you sounds like it’s about the small things, even how you position yourself in your desk, or how you stand in line for a coffee. I know, for me, that was a big thing for me, I noticed. And you noticed for me, whenever we were living in Australia together that how I would like actually stand in position, my weight would impact like I have like a knee that will kind of bend in a little bit. And that also kind of comes into play whenever I’m exercising and that sort of thing. So if you bring awareness to this so that I can, I could strengthen the muscle groups around my glutes was it?

KENDRA: Yeah, it was your glutes. And I remember because when we were living together, you were completing your dissertation as well. And I remember you were having a lot of lower back pain and neck pain. And I remember we were working with our friend Jen, who’s also a physio at the time. And so Jen and I worked together, and we were helping Lauren to strengthen her glutes. And yeah, she did have a bit of a wobbly knee syndrome. So we just worked on, you know, creating the strength in the glutes, and also, releasing any sort of tightness is and you know, the roller was your best friend at that stage. I remember, Lauren had the roller right next to her desk, and she’d like roll out her back.

LAUREN: I still do, I still have that roller actually right over here. And I brought it out recently, as you and I have been connecting more on these topics, because it’s been this great reminder to do the stretching of the glutes. So whatever type of subtle mind body movements you notice in your clients that help with this getting aligned?

KENDRA: So it’s, I guess what I try to, again, going back to just teaching people about their bodies and so being really self aware. For example, you know, I always tell clients, if you’re standing in line to order a coffee or order lunch, pay attention to how you’re actually standing, are you favoring your weight onto one hip, or you know are your shoulders you know, slumped forward is your head really forward of your spine? I mean, that’s a big one, our heads weigh up to eight kilos and so if your head is not in alignment with your spine, then it’s going to cause a lot of tension through your upper traps and through the neck. And so it’s just teaching those mindful movements and awareness that creates such a big benefit for people. So another example is you know, if they’re you know, sitting in a chair and just paying attention like you mentioned to your posture, you know, how are you actually sitting there, do you feel like your collarbones are nice and open. So I always like to say, Are your collarbones smiling? You know, are they are they open and you know, are you is your ribcage, you know, settled on top of your pelvis and those little differences are those little subtle reminders can make a big difference. And again, it’s I’m really passionate about it and I suppose I’ve seen so many different bodies and so many different injuries from all different ages. You know, from 10 years old, like I said, all the way up to 92. And it just amazes me how what makes the biggest impact is how we move on a daily basis. So even though you’re getting that, that movement in that 30 minutes, which is recommended, but being mindful about how you’re actually then moving throughout the day makes a huge difference too.

LAUREN: I imagine this has such a huge impact too. As I’m sitting here, correcting everything, it’s so true. It’s like stacking your core on top of your pelvis that just changed everything for me. And how I was sitting.

KENDRA: And I, one of the things actually, I remember, I heard this from a fellow pilates instructor, I went to her workshop. And she said, I want to make really good old people. And I thought, I love that that’s just, we’re all aging, we’re all getting older, you know, we need to make sure that we’re looking after ourselves. And a big one of a big part of that is being self aware and having that mind body connection. So yeah.

LAUREN: I think exactly what I’m learning right now, about this mind body connection from you is actually what I learned five years ago, I should say, has helped me so much right now. And what I’m learning right now is going to help me in five years from now, because everything you’re doing right now impacts, you know, the habits that you put in place impact, really like five years down the road, what you’re doing, and then once you get older I’m sure it keeps going.

KENDRA: Well, and I also think it’s what I found was interesting is that people’s profession can have a profound effect on their bodies, too. For example, I had a client who was a dentist, and he would constantly be turned, you know, their chair, they’d be turned over so they could obviously work in the mouth. And so he was constantly twisted for hours and hours throughout the day. And so he had a lot of pain in his neck, you know, acute pain in his shoulders and whatnot. So I also think it’s important to know, you know, what do you do for a living, and being mindful to perhaps, you know. I’ll give you an example, if you’re a parent, and you have a toddler, and you’re that I mean, toddlers are pretty heavy. So if you’re constantly picking them up, and then putting them on your hip and, and walking around, try to switch what hip you put them on and try not to put all the pressure on that side, make sure you try to stand evenly on both of your feet. So little things like that just make a huge difference. So be mindful about what your profession is, as well as if you’re a parent with small kids, and you’re picking them up all the time.

LAUREN: Wow, yeah, these subtle movements do make such an impact on everything. This conversation is actually so timely for me right now because I feel like I usually am really good about getting in at least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise each day. But I had COVID at the end of January, I’ve been back to the doctor, and now I know I have long COVID which there are so many unknown factors as far as the research that’s been done on that so far as far as the symptoms. But for me, what that looks like is extreme fatigue, I get hot flashes, I have some strange circulation things happening where my lower legs, feet, knees, and kind of calf area turn bright red. There’s just a lot of really odd things I get, like, nauseous. So basically making up a lot of excuses for why I’m not that it feels like that must have an impact on it. And so it may be that I’m getting two to three days a week. What could 30 minutes of exercise look like for people who aren’t on maybe going to the gym right now? I am going to the gym about two to two days a week to three days a week. What do you do on those other days?

KENDRA: So before I answer that question, I just want to say that you’re not alone with the COVID the repercussions of having COVID I’ve had quite a few clients that have come in with long term COVID. And you know, they talk about the fatigue and the they’ve lost a lot of the their breathing capacity. They’re really short of breath all the time. And so and also just the muscle strength. So you’re not alone in that regard. But to answer your question about, you know, making 30 minutes, it’s it can sound a lot, it can sound quite intimidating for some and particularly if people are time poor. You know, just be mindful that there’s ways that you can break up that 30 minutes into more manageable chunks of time throughout your day. So there’s basically as long as you’re raising your heart rate and there’s really creative ways to incorporate this physical activity into your daily routine without having to go to the gym or to an exercise class or a sporting field. For example, this could include taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It’s amazing what a couple flight of stairs can get your heart rate going pretty quickly. So, some other ideas could include, you know, parking further away from your destinations, if you’re going to the grocery store, maybe if you’re rather than driving around forever looking for a car, like a parking spot, park in the back and walk. And also, when you’re bringing your groceries back out, you’re going to be carrying quite a bit of weight. And that’s going to be good for you physically, to then walk to the to the car.

LAUREN: That’s a great mindset shift I will just say. I live in an apartment and often have to carry like five bags of groceries in. So I get parked out front, I have to bring the car around, bring the groceries up to the second level. And I’m not gonna lie, sometimes I get a little bit frustrated, absolutely, and frustrated, because I’m like, Oh, God, I have to be this extra step. But I think that’s actually a great mindset shift where I’m like, No, I’m working some muscles. You know, this is actually a good thing, and it probably will help once you shift that mindset. I’ve heard some things about this workaround. If you shift your mindset on those types of activities that you’re doing, and thinking, knowing that this is actually really healthy for me, I’m actually working my biceps and maybe my glutes, whenever I’m lifting the bags, that that actually helps impact how you feel about your level of health and well being and fitness. And that inadvertently impacts other parts of your health system, basically, if I and I don’t know if I’m describing that, right, but I remember listening to a podcast about this.

KENDRA: Yeah, it’s so important. And that just simple mindset shift, you know, like you said, you were normally really frazzled. And now if you shift that perspective, and you think, Oh, this is, this is good for me, and then all of a sudden, your moods lightened. And that, you know, plays a big effect on your overall day to so I also just want to mention, and you’re really good at this, Lauren is I find if people schedule in short walk breaks throughout the day, it makes such a big impact. And that’s another great way to incorporate 30 minutes of movement. So if you just have a very, very packed schedule, putting in five minutes of walking intermittently throughout the day, you know, you can set it within your calendar, you can set it on your watch, you can physically write it down in your calendar, whichever works best for you. But scheduling that into your day. It’s it can be so easy. I mean, it’s just making that time for it. And it’s also going to help you mentally if you get up from whatever you’re doing and walk around. So another another thing that I I believe people underestimate as a workout is housework. It is one of the greatest forms of physical activity, because you are, you know, if you’re doing a really good clean of your house, and generally that takes 30 minutes up to an hour for some people. And you know, if you’re scrubbing the shower screen, or picking up boxes and moving furniture, and that is a good workout. I know I like to put on some music and I just sweat it out whenever I do some else work especially during the Summer months.

LAUREN: Some people even get into flow state whenever they do housework. I’ve had a client actually ask about that saying like we’re choosing different activities to try for flow state. They asked if they could do housework as part of that. And certainly, if that’s something that you enjoy, that brings you if think it gives that extra fulfillment of like having something accomplished at the end of it for your right, your own livelihood and your family’s livelihood. So I really liked that that’s allowed in like the daily 30.
And the way I look at it too, is two birds with one stone. You’re cleaning your house to getting your physical activity, and yeah, you’re going to be in a good mood, hopefully because of it. So I think that’s just such a good way to approach it. And it’s amazing how that will have a roll on effect. And you’ll probably get really creative other ways to incorporate that physical activity. Well, so now thinking about that, like how to incorporate the physical activity. A lot of this of my understanding is that it really is about habits and habit building. So many people want to incorporate these great daily 30 things in their lives. So where would you start if you’re going from either like just having a limited amount of exercise or maybe no exercise? Where would you start and building this in your life?

KENDRA: That’s a really good question. And I was inspired by a book called Tiny habits , it’s by BJ Fogg. And what he recommends is to pick something consistent in your life and do it then. So that’s when you do what you want to do. So for example, if you brush your teeth every morning thing, which I hope everyone does, you can either choose to incorporate your 30 minutes of physical activity before you brush your teeth or after you brush your teeth brush your teeth. So it’s having that consistency, and taking that. So then you know, okay, I’m going to exercise I’m going to do my 30 minutes, and then I’m going to brush my teeth.

LAUREN: I’ve heard of this before linchpin habits is what I’ve heard them called by the Huberman labs, habit protocol. So if I want to start working out, the question I should ask myself is, what habits do I do every day, and then I should ask, lay it on whatever that new habit is on to that high. And if it’s like you said, if it’s everyone’s brushing their teeth in the morning and in the evening, and so if that’s a habit that you’re doing every day, it could be also taking your vitamins every morning, whatever that is a at that time, I’m going to tack on push ups or whatever workout. But I’m also thinking about those who might get intimidated by setting a goal of the 30 minutes to start, can I just do 10 push ups and start small?

KENDRA: 100%, I suggest, you know, if you, let’s say you brush your teeth, so after or before I brush my teeth, I will do one pushup, and that’s it. Because what you’ll find is the next day, you may say, before I brush my teeth, I will do two push ups. And that just grows incrementally with time, and the same thing could be with your videos, again, perhaps you find that it’s just a little bit too much for you at that stage. So you could just watch five minutes of the video, because that’s going to be better than nothing.

LAUREN: Oh, that’s really useful. I actually, that reminds me of a book by James Clear called Atomic Habits. And he talks about doing bring yourself 1% closer to that goal of that that person that you want to become. So if you want to be the kind of person who works out every day, or does 30 minutes of exercise every day, then start with 1% of that goal. Get out your yoga night, open up the video and do a minute of the workout video, whatever 1% of that goal is because you know you need small wins to start with. And once you start doing those small wins, you can add on to it and slowly pack on to that.

KENDRA: That’s right. Yeah. And that’s just that’s just that as having that mindset. And there’s so many pressures in life already. So to create these, I guess, just creating less pressure and making life easier for yourself. And in a big one is just a shift in mindset and a shift in that behavior. And, you know, another thing that that JB Fogg mentions in his book, is he talks about the three criteria for matching yourself with the golden behavior. So that includes one impact, which the behavior is effective. And then the second is the motivation. So you want to do the behavior. So I want to exercise I want to incorporate that into my life. And then the third one is your ability. So you can do that behavior. So you can incorporate physical activity into your life, you can do it.

LAUREN: Well, I’m a huge effectiveness snob. So I love this kind of way of looking the whole. And to know that it’s effective that is so important for me too, is that everything I pick, every new behavior I choose, or existing behavior usually has to be backed by some kind of evidence to say that it’s effective. And I imagine with your precision with the pilates movements that you do, and how precise it is, ensures that your clients are doing movements and behaviors that are effective. And if they’re motivated to come to you, then they’re, if they’re coming to you, they’re motivated to do the behavior. My question is, do you ever notice clients misreading their own ability, thinking about that third piece about your ability that you can save the behavior?

KENDRA: I see it all the time, I in fact, if I demonstrate an exercise or movement in the studio, and a client would just say I can’t do that, but I know they physically can do that movement, it’s just automatically this mindset of I just can’t I can’t do that. But what I like to do is then break it into even smaller chunks, and give them you know, I might give them regressions to show them that they are capable of doing a component of that movement. And then it’s a matter of encouraging them and and letting them know that that they can do this in a safe manner and it’s actually very beneficial for them and and then when that mindset starts to shift and they say, wow, okay, maybe I need to give my body more credit, I can do this. It’s awesome to see that it’s really rewarding.

LAUREN: I’m sure it’s so rewarding once they try it, but I know that there would be this like psychological kind of barrier that you’re breaking through at the same time where they’re definitely also misreading their ability, probably getting really frustrated with you, because you want them to do this thing that they they’ve been told, or they think in their mind, they can’t do. But really, they can do these small movements that will get them there. So I hats off to you, because I know I’ve experienced in your classes, these things happening, and hearing you handle it very well. But I know for any instructor, probably of any type of Pilates yoga gym class that they’d experienced that like rubbing up against with the clients. You think, oh, why are you trying to get me to do this thing when they really can do it. And it’s that you’re helping them like shift their mindset in that. So I have a question. I know, it’s important to get your daily 30 minutes of exercise to get outside. And my mom wants to do a regular physical activity practice, and I really want to be supportive in this process, usually when I visit her. So I just moved back to South Carolina a year ago, and now whenever I visit her, I make sure that we go for a walk. But she hasn’t yet incorporated that into her daily routine on her own when I’m not there. So I’m wondering if you have any tips for getting our loved ones friends or family members active?

KENDRA: So I recommend if you’re supporting your family and friends through a change process, let these two Maxim’s be your guide. So help people do what they already want to do. So helping your mom create these movement habits throughout her daily routine, and then also help them feel successful about it.

LAUREN: This is a big one, and where I think I could do better. My mom was really excited about doing an exercise bike. It’s so funny that you mentioned this. And I tried to actually talk her out of it because I know how important it is for her in 10 years from now to be able to get outside and get movement and have like at least you know, 10 minutes of early morning sunlight exposure, so I was really trying to push that. And all she wants to do is get exercise by so I think what you’re saying is just let her get the damn exercise bike if that’s what she wants to do. And cause the first one was help people do what they already want to do. And then hopefully, she’ll progress to a road right bike, and she’ll be riding her bike outside. And so it is and I think it’s just it’s important to remember that, going back to that brushing your teeth and doing one pushup. So a behavior usually becomes easier once it’s repeated. So hopefully, you know, with your mom, if those walks that she’s doing and getting on her exercise bike, that it will create just these really healthy habits for her.
I love that. And so for the listeners, some of you might be wondering, how do I know if I made a new habit, and the hubberman lab, Andrew Hubberman talks about this in great length. And he says that the strength of a habit is dictated by how much limbic friction and this is a term that he’s coined Olympic friction you need to overcome to perform the behavior and how much context dependence there is. So that means that do you perform the habit no matter what, or only when you’re calm, rested in the presence of others and caffeinated? And depending on your answer to that, that’s how you know whether or not you have the habit and or maybe you need to keep working on building that habit. And the more that you can do it without those caught other things. At play, there’s other kind of boosters, then you know that it’s become a natural part of your day. I know for me, this is a big thing, because I like to go to the gym in the morning, I’m starting to be more flexible with that I’m going an afternoon, son. And that seems to be like when I this week need to, like want to work out and I can do that in a way where I’m like not caffeinated where sometimes I do need like the early morning start I need caffeine to be able to get a workout and I always like rally my friends to work out at whatever gym I’m going to because I know that that’s a good accountability system for me. So I’m thinking like exercising is nearly a habit for me, but maybe not quite.

KENDRA: But you’re also really good at throwing in those little locks throughout the day. And and I suppose that’s a nice way to take the pressure off yourself to some of those times when you can’t just squeeze it in. There’s always ways you can to make another movement. Yeah, find other good beneficial movements.

LAUREN: Thank you so much for describing Your Daily 30 to us and helping us understand more about that and motivate us to kind of get out there and get active.