EXERCISE
Body Movement, Mental Clarity, and the Case for Making Time
Exercise isn’t just physical—it’s mental, emotional, and creative. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how movement supports not only health but insight, problem-solving, and emotional resilience.
Have you had your annual physical? Do you get a yearly physical? An annual check-up is an excellent idea, and as you age, you will discover that the questions tend to repeat. What are you doing for exercise? How often are you doing it?
OK! I know exercise is good for me and that my body will be grateful for the attention. But do you realize how difficult this really is? My day is already busy, and I can only imagine what the day of a younger person is like.
How does one fit exercise into the herding of children getting off to school while you are getting dressed for a Board meeting? Or the planning of lunches and meals while answering calls from the principal, not to mention the ritual call to mom and dad? Then you have to transport each child to after-school activities and attend the practice so you can talk about it on the way home. You have business calls to return in the evening, plans to develop for the next day, or an entire proposal to complete, ensuring the next contract is secure.
I mean, really. Who has time to exercise? Plus, don’t you get enough exercise chasing your kids around or traveling from office to office during the day? OK, I hear you.
Yet you are missing the point. Exercise is not just for your body. Sure, your muscles will benefit, and you will get stronger and have more energy. Your muscle mass will increase, and your physician will stop nagging you. So those benefits alone should make it worth it.
The other benefit is that your brain will have time to roam around.
This form of roaming is actually healthy. When you are exercising, your brain is free to wander as long as you watch out for cars if you are walking, uneven sidewalks if you are running, and random flying weights if you are in the gym.
Our brains need time to wander and reflect. They reorganize things and come up with new ideas for solving problems. They fondly recall fun times with the family during vacations, such as when a windstorm ripped their tent apart in the rain. They solve problems that you have been puzzling over for days or weeks. They find things that you have been hunting for, like, where did I leave that extra key for the front door? Suddenly, they make the next step obvious. They generate plans and invent things that could make you famous.
Your brain is fascinating. This organ works in the background all the time, recording things you notice but may ignore. Then, just at the right moment, your brain presents an idea or a solution that you have been hunting for over several days.
Given all of this, isn’t exercise worth the time?
Want to explore how movement supports mental clarity and emotional health? Visit Harvard Health’s guide to exercise and mood and Psychology Today’s article on how exercise boosts cognition.
If you’re navigating stress, burnout, or emotional overwhelm, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support clarity, energy, and emotional resilience.
By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst
