Posted by: Mike Schwartz
A radical thought for many of us, I know. But man oh man – how many of you have caught yourself saying things like ”I’m not in the mood to write a song or play my instrument…”? It’s malarky, folks. Author Stephen Pressfield writes in his book The War Of Art “Someone once asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes,” he replied. “Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
You see, if we look at the word Emotion, it’s synonymous with “feeling”, right? However, the root of the word “motion” suggests something needs to move. In order to feel it, we need to take action. The same goes for brain chemistry. Thankfully, exercise can provide that shift of emotion for us and can turn our thoughts, perceptions and attitude around. It’s really quite amazing.
Studies show that exercise reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. Dr. Daniel Landers published a study out of the Arizona State University that states this: “We now have evidence to support the claim that exercise is related to positive mental health as indicated by relief in symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
Furthermore, exercise plays a significant role in reducing major health risks like diabetes, heart disease and cancer… not to mention our immunity. That’s gotta take a toll off of our stress, right? This global pandemic, forced lockdowns and general sedentary lifestyle associated with quarantine, should make us especially mindful of this and do our part to bolster our own health, would you agree? If you’re still sitting on the fence, here’s something to consider: In a study done in 2018, physical exercise has been shown to reduce cancer incidence and inhibit tumor growth. Boom.
This is huge for me. I hold good health in the highest regard. Everyone’s got a story of what good health means to them, and I soon realized how important it was to share those stories. I wanna spread that message to the rest of the industry. Make it normal, you know? I also realized my voice was not enough. I mean, I’m loud.. but… Enter “Music Fit Collective”. We’re a community of musician-first health and wellness professionals specializing in movement, nutrition and mindset for the unique lifestyle challenges of the creative. We ran a few online workouts and workshops last week on Instagram and Facebook for World Cancer Day and had a great response, so we wanna share that with you again this week.
Here’s what we’ve got going on.
For all of you folks out there unfamiliar with Los Cabos Drumsticks, not only are they a great Canadian company, they do something really special. They have a line of Pink Sticks and for every pair purchased, a portion of the proceeds go to the fight against Breast Cancer. So take a peek and if that resonates with you, please pick up a pair of sticks here: www.loscabosdrumsticks.com
We had such a great response last week, we’re going to do it again this week!
Wednesday February 10 Zoom Lunch ‘n Learn (all times EST)
2:07 – 3:00 “Using Holistic Movement To Overcome Injury”
Thursday Feb 11 Instagram Live Flow Sessions Schedule (all times EST)
8:07 – 8:35 “Morning Energizer Flow”
2:07 – 3:00 “Primal Flow Circuit”
6:33 – 7:00 “De-stress/Re-charge Flow”
If you’re into it, just let us know and shoot a message our way at hey@miketheschwartz.com and I’ll be happy to get you the right links and answer any questions you might have. We are also offering 5 Full Ride Karma Scholarships to our Music Fit Method Movement Coach Level 1 Certification for Unison Members that have experienced financial hardship and would like to improve their health and also pay it forward to the next generation of musicians. Together we can empower 10,000 musicians to live well and share their gift with the world. Please apply here.
Learn more about all the awesome stuff we have going on at www.musicfitcollective.com and be sure to give us a follow and say hey on Instagram and Facebook
About Music Fit Collective
We’ll keep it simple. We’re empowering 10,000 musicians by 2022 to live well so they can keep on sharing their gift with the world. When was the last time you saw a super healthy musician? Right? Unicorns. We tame unicorns.
We are a network of musician-first health and wellness professionals, specializing in movement, nutrition and mindset for the very unique lifestyle demands of the creative. Based in the Foothills of the Great Canadian Rockies, we serve as a launch pad with international reach to help you connect with the professional services you need to bring your “Eh” game (see what we did there…) both on and off the stage. We offer in house musician wellness certification, education, services and we only partner with those that speak to the same vibe of personal and professional development and world-class service. Wanna learn more? Wanna help?
Head to www.musicfitcollective.com
About The Author – Mike Schwartz
Mike Schwartz is a musician, movement artist, author, educator and widely considered the “OG” of Musician Wellness. A graduate of the University of Calgary with a Bachelors in Political Science and Management, he holds a Cert IV in Fitness, is a CHEK Institute Practitioner, ACE-Certified Personal Trainer, Steel Mace Flow, Kettlebell and Olympic Weightlifting Certified as well as a Precision Nutrition Certified Exercise Nutrition Coach. He is currently finalizing his post-grad studies in Exercise Science through the NSCA as a CSCS. AKA “The Rock Doctor” he has contributed to Canadian Musician Magazine, appeared on Rick Barker’s “The Music Industry Blueprint Podcast” and his 2017 publication “The Musician’s Guide To Surviving The Rock Star Lifestyle” has garnered attention internationally as a must-see at Canadian Music Week, Australian Music Week, BreakOut West, Abbey Road Institute, Studios 301, Folk Music Ontario and the Canadian Country Music Awards.
When he’s not coaching musicians, you’ll catch Mike training himself or making music, art or enjoying a good book and a coffee. He loves the mountains, the ocean, travel, playing sports and spending time with loved ones and his beloved 4-legged best friend, Darwin.
References
Daniel M. Landers, Series 2, Number 12 of the PCPFS Research Digest, Arizona State University https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.451.9646&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Pernille Hojman, Julie Gehl, Jesper F. Christensen, Bente K. Pedersen,
Molecular Mechanisms Linking Exercise to Cancer Prevention and Treatment,
Cell Metabolism,
Volume 27, Issue 1,
2018,
Pages 10-21,
ISSN 1550-4131,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2017.09.015.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413117305673)
Abstract: The benefits of exercise training for cancer patients are becoming increasingly evident. Physical exercise has been shown to reduce cancer incidence and inhibit tumor growth. Here we provide the status of the current molecular understanding of the effect of exercise on cancer. We propose that exercise has a role in controlling cancer progression through a direct effect on tumor-intrinsic factors, interplay with whole-body exercise effects, alleviation of cancer-related adverse events, and improvement of anti-cancer treatment efficacy. These findings have wide-ranging societal implications, as this understanding may lead to changes in cancer treatment strategies.