Move Your Body to Move Your Mind

Our actions change our attitudes. Our movements change our moods. Our motions change our emotions.

Most days I don’t feel like running until I start to run..

– Tom Fleming, 2x Winner of the NYC Marathon

Most weeks, I don’t feel like writing a blog until I start to write. I always begin by asking myself questions: What really matters to me? What do I think is important? What am I going through that a reader might relate to? What’s on my mind and heart that feels worth sharing?

This week, I really didn’t feel like writing this blog. A death in my family, travel across multiple cities in just a few days, work, meetings, and presentations—all of it seemed like valid excuses to let consistency slip. But then I remembered: to act professionally in any endeavor means showing up, especially when you least feel like it.

A true pro does their best when they feel like it least.

Commitment > Feelings

In psychology, there’s a well-known positive feedback loop:

Thoughts → Emotions → Actions → Thoughts → Emotions → Actions...

But in the same way that thoughts can spark emotions and emotions can spark actions, the most productive pattern often starts with behavior—which in turn changes thoughts and feelings. Rather than allowing your mind and emotions to captain the ship, take action.

Do you want to be calmer, more committed, more confident?

The first time I truly realized the importance of leading with behavior was in my teenage years.

I had no problem running a mile, doing an extra set at the gym, or shooting an extra bucket of lacrosse balls. My issue was with relaxation.

I had heard about the benefits of mindfulness. I’d seen role models use journals to capture thoughts, goals, and gratitudes. But I also convinced myself, “This is normal. I can sleep when I’m dead. If I want to be an outstanding athlete, I can’t just work out—I have to outwork.”

That mindset led to soreness… which led to stiffness… which led to random aches, pains, and injuries. I was falling prey to my thoughts.

So, I shifted. I started listening more to my body and my emotions.

Sometimes that meant taking a short nap to catch up on sleep. Other times, I’d eat too much, thinking I might be undernourished. Many days, I’d sit down in the shower just to give myself a break from an impending breakdown.

But I wasn’t just tuning into how I felt—I was reacting to every fleeting emotion.

One day, I chose to walk instead of run. Another day, I stretched instead of lifting. Another time, I lay down, closed my eyes, and meditated—instead of sitting in the shower, letting falling water mix with tears.

The controlled action of a nature walk, the gentle movement of yoga, the intentional stillness of meditation—they made me feel free. My thoughts became clearer. My emotions felt calmer. These new habits—these deliberate actions and purposeful inactions—helped me reset my inner world.

I learned something that stuck:

If you want to become more (or less) of something—more relaxed, less anxious—you don’t have to wait to feel it.

Act it until you become it.

He who hesitates is lost.

She who doubts doesn’t follow through.

It’s about getting energy in motion rather than being overly reliant on emotions.
“I don’t feel like it” are five words that, when repeated often enough, lead to failure.

It’s unrealistic to wait for some Forrest-Gump-style moment of inspiration where you suddenly “feel like running.”

Instead, take the first step.

Send the first text.

Make the first call.

A human in motion tends to stay in motion.

N:ow, GO!

— MG