It's time to move! Spring is here and its a great time to get more movement in your day-to-day life. Science journalist Caroline Williams shares insights from research on movement and the mind-body connection; why exercise is good, but not enough; and practical tips on ways to move more.

We discuss:

 How “long, ponderous dog walks”  led to this book

The compelling stats on how inactive people have become – and what’s behind those trends

The consequences of a more sedentary lifestyle

Why there's much more to learn about walking than you may think

Is it the mind-body connection or the body-mind connection? Who’s driving the bus?

What she's personally doing differently now because of what she learned in writing the book

The many ways that dancing for fun can help you

Some surprising benefits of stretching and yoga

Why focusing on the fundamentals like posture and smiling can make a big difference

Why going to the gym is good - but not enough.

Caroline's advice on how to build more movement into your everyday life

Caroline Williams joins us from Surrey in the UK.

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Bio

Caroline Williams is a science journalist and editor. A consultant for and regular contributor to New Scientist, her written work has also appeared in The Guardian, The Boston Globe, BBC Future, and BBC Earth, among others. She has worked as a radio producer and reporter for BBC Radio, and was the regular co-host of the New Scientist podcast from 2006 to 2010. She is the author of two books: Override: My quest to go beyond brain training and take control of my mind (published as My Plastic Brain in the USA), and Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free. She was also editor of the New Scientist Instant Expert Guide to the Brain. She holds a BSc in biological sciences from Exeter University and an MSc (Distinction) in Science Communication from Imperial College London. She lives in Surrey, UK.

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For More on Caroline Williams

Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

The Joy of Movement - Kelly McGonigal

The Mind-Body Connection and The Rabbit Effect – Kelli Harding

How to Get Stronger After 50 – Dave Durell

Tiny Habits Can Lead to Big Changes – BJ Fogg

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Wise Quotes

On Rest and Balance

"The interesting thing that I found about rest was that there's all these studies and statistics about how little we're moving and that we're spending all this time being sedentary. But there's a parallel body of work on rest. And something like 60% of people that were surveyed came back and said they didn't feel that they were getting enough rest.  So whatever we're doing with all this sedentary time we're not finding it particularly restful. So to be able to to move and have the energy to do what you need to do , you have to rest. They're two sides of the same coin. One interesting thing to to remember with rest is it doesn't necessarily have to involve being sedentary. Rest can be running up a hill if it allows you to forget what's going on in your life and and come back feeling happy and exhausted. So I think rethinking rest is a partner to movement."

On Movement Snacks

"So it's not simply a case of sort of getting out of bed, sitting at your desk for 4 hours, going for a mad run, and then coming back sitting for another 4 hours. It's more about breaking up the sedentary time. It doesn't have to involve anything particularly strenuous - just getting up moving around.