The Quill #1: Self-Care Corner #1

February 17, 2025

Confidence is Key

My own personal tip for self-care is simply getting up and getting moving. Whether that would mean going outside to take your dog for a walk, doing Pilates in your living room, going to the gym for an hour before/after work, etc. Getting your body moving has helped people look good as well as feel good. Some examples/hobbies to get yourself moving are as follows:

Walking/Jogging: The benefits of daily walking or jogging are that these are low-impact, safe, free forms of exercise that can, first and foremost, improve your mental health. They can reduce your levels of anxiety and depression, lower your mood, help you sleep better, boost your creativity, and even lower your risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. While physically, walking or jogging daily could help you stay fit, lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, and lower your risk of falls.

Pilates: Pilates’ biggest improvement for self-care is that it offers better core strength, balance, posture, and alignment. By working on these physical improvements through Pilates, you can also help your chances of reducing and preventing injury by improving your flexibility. Like walking/jogging, Pilates also helps to reduce stress and anxiety through the controlled breathing techniques.

Gym Exercise: Going to the gym has similar benefits to walking/jogging, as it also gets your body moving. Exercise, in general, could help with your sense of control, your coping ability, and your self-esteem. Many people work out to maintain their physical health, but it also helps maintain a healthy mindset, reducing the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, as mentioned above.

Exercising helps with self-care, as it helps your brain release the “feel-good” chemicals, known as serotonin and endorphins. While you’re on the journey to improve your fitness, you can also improve your mental health.There are free at-home options from finding the right guides. The UWGB Kress Fitness Center and pool (Green Bay campus) are open at different times on different days. You can assess the hours here. UWGB also offers different exercise classes, which can be found here.