Even a Little Movement Can Have a Huge Impact on Your Mindset

4 min readAt this point in life, you’re well aware that physical activity is important for your health and wellbeing. But sometimes you just don’t have the time or drive to do a full workout. Still, new research makes a solid case for squeezing in even a little movement when you can.The Built to Move study, which was conducted by the Women's Sports Foundation in partnership with Flamingo and Gotham FC, dove into the relationship between movement and physical, mental, and emotional well-being in women between the ages of 22 and 35. It had some surprising insights, including that a teeny amount of daily activity can go a long way.“We wanted to better understand how being active can help women feel stronger, healthier, and more appreciative of what their bodies can do, rather than focusing on how they look,” says Danette Leighton, chief executive officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation. Leighton says it was especially important for the researchers to focus on the 22- to 35-year-old age group, because this is a stage of life when people tend to stop participating in sports “even though the pressures around appearance remain very strong.”Here’s what the research uncovered, plus why the findings make such a strong case for getting up and moving.What did the study find?For the study, researchers polled more than 1,500 women between the ages of 22 and 35 about how often they’re active and their mental and physical health. (The researchers defined being “active” as pretty much any kind of movement.) They uncovered a ton of interesting findings.The survey discovered that women who are physically active for just one to two hours a week are 83 percent more likely to say they feel positive about their bodies than those who are inactive or active less than one hour a week. Meaning, just 8.5 minutes of movement a day can lead to noticeable mindset changes.Women who were active one to two hours a week were 25 percent more likely to say they’re in good physical health and 30 percent more likely to say they have good mental health compared to their less active counterparts.The perks only went up the more women moved. Women who were physically active for two to four hours a week were nearly twice as likely to say they felt positive about their bodies compared to those who were inactive or moved less than an hour a week. They were also 54 percent more likely to say they were in good physical health and 46 percent more likely to report good mental health.While women who did regular movement became stronger and more fit, they also felt better about what they can do. Women who were active one to four hours a week were three times more likely to say they felt strong, two to three times more likely to say they felt powerful, and twice as likely to say they felt proud of what their body can do compared to those who didn’t move as much.“We've spent far too much time telling women that movement is something they should do to look different, when the real value of movement is that it helps us feel different,” Leighton says. “It reconnects us with our strength, supports our physical and mental health, and reminds us of what our bodies make possible.”Giselle Balagat, CMO of Flamingo and Harry’s, agrees. “Movement shouldn’t have to always be intense, expensive, competitive, or time-consuming to count,” she says.Why can even a little movement do so much?A lot is about changing your perspective, says Taylor Beebe, a certified personal trainer in California. “Even a small amount of movement allows us to get past the limiting belief of 'I could never do that' towards curiosity around 'What can I do?’” she says.Whether you’re working with a trainer or friend, or going solo, your goals become more achievable when you break them up, Beebe says.Gotham FCThe Women’s Sports Foundation and Gotham FC first teased the Built to Move research at the NWSL’s Queens Classic in New York City last month.How to get moving more, if you’re not already activeIf you have a solid exercise routine in place, you can mentally pat yourself on the back and know that you’re doing what you can to support your mental and physical health. But if you’re not moving as much as you’d like, there are a few things you can do to turn things around.A big one is to expand your mindset about what it means to be active. “Movement can be anything and doesn’t have to last super long,” says Mandy Freeman, two-time NWSL champion and Gotham FC defender. “A few minutes throughout the day goes a long way.”Once you figure out what works for you, you can ramp up the amount of time you exercise or add something new to the mix, she says. “My go-tos are taking my dog on long walks and dancing in my apartment while cleaning,” she says. “I’ll put on a DJ set on YouTube so it makes it seem like I’m at the party.”Beebe also suggests reframing the way you view activity. “Exercise, in any form, is a great way to relieve stress,” she says. “Exercise is a form of self care and honoring and prioritizing yourself and your goals.”Beebe suggests starting out by increasing your step count. “Five to 10-minute walks throughout the day add up over time,” she says. You can also take activities you already enjoy, like riding bikes, dancing, or doing yoga, and lean into them a little harder. “If you start with what gets you in the gym door and then habit-stack on top of that, it becomes much easier,” Beebe says.Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.