Credit: UBC Recreation / Kirsten Call
Happy new year, UBC! Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions to wake up earlier? If so, the latest episode on “Moves with the Move U Crew” can help you with that!
If you struggle to roll out of bed in the morning, like me, try playing Episode 3 for a change. In just under 5 minutes, I will take you through a stretching sequence that can be performed right in the comfort of your bed that will wake your body up from head to toe.
A recent paper published by Central Queensland University, Deakin University, and the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory found that 30 seconds of high intensity or low intensity exercise upon waking can reduce subjective sleepiness, compared to just being sedentary (Kovac et al., 2021). This may suggest that movement, including light stretching, can improve feelings of wakefulness! If you’re interested in learning how to best incorporate movement and sleep hygiene, visit the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines here.
So, the next time you feel like hitting the snooze button in the morning, hit play instead! Enjoy!
“Moves with the Move U Crew” episodes are available for streaming on Spotify and RedCircle.