The Traffic Light System - figuring out when to move

5 Sept

I created this system to check in with myself amongst bad mental days, chronic pain, illness + fatigue. It's a way to support ‘future you’ when you're stuck in the middle about how to move.

Here’s how it works…

Before you move:

Check in with your mind + body and rate the following from 1 (very low) to 10 (very high)

Sleep
Stress
Energy
Mood
Pain

Then use those ratings to decide which ‘zone’ you’re in…

The Red zone - aka “Hell no”

This zone is reserved for the days when:

You’re severely sleep-deprived
Your pain levels are in “get in bed + disappear” territory
You don’t have time due to unavoidable commitments eg. a long shift at work
You’ve already moved a lot that week + haven’t taken a rest day
You’re symptomatically unwell

On red days, give yourself full permission to rest, and know that movement will be there for you when you’re ready for it.

The yellow zone - aka “My body says maybe, my mind says meh/no”

This zone is the one we MOST get stuck in - it’s when energy/pain/mood are in that middle zone and you’re feeling ‘meh’ about moving. Often there is no “right answer” and you’ll need to experiment to find what works for you.

To help make the decision, ask yourself:

Have I slept enough? If not, maybe skip the workout and have a nap!
Have I eaten enough today? If not, grab some food and then reevaluate!

If the answer to both is ‘Yes’, go and MOVE! Start with the first five minutes and then decide if you want to keep going - often just getting yourself moving will give you the boost of dopamine you need to continue. Give yourself full permission to rest + take breaks whenever you need to and move at your level - you don’t have to go at 100%. Psst-

Tip: A lean towards a green light is when movement sounds exciting + scary - go for it! Sometimes your inner critic is a total cow and you need to prove her wrong!

A note on your Window of Tolerance - moving when you have mental health symptoms

Our mental health can affect our energy, mental alertness & stress levels. Often when we are angry, agitated, anxious or wired we are in hyper-arousal & when we feel depressed, numb or dissociated we are in hypo-arousal. Check out this graphic to help you check in + see where you’re at:

Here are my tips for movement:

Hyper-arousal aka “wired” - slow strength training, gentle yoga, continuous low-intensity movement (think walking, riding a bike) - do NOT do HIIT training. Stretching, mobility, myo-fascia release are also great to help the nervous system relax.

Hypo-arousal aka “tired” - our bodies need stimulus to help us connect in- sometimes HIIT training can be a way for us to quickly move emotion around. Strength training, dancing, pilates or a HIIT class (done with regular check-ins) can interrupt our thoughts & help us be present in the moment.

Green zone - aka “hell yes”

For the days that feel like sunshine - somehow you feel low stress, high energy + your brain has decided to be nice to you. Give it all you got, babe! But remember that you still have full permission to check in, rest, ask for options, or stop moving at any time you need to.

How to create your own traffic light system

These ‘zones’ are going to look different for everyone + we all have different things that help us. You might like to create your own plan to refer to when you’re not sure whether to move. Use the info above + answer the following prompts to create your plan:

What does each zone look like for me in terms of pain/stress/sleep/mood?
How can I check in with my mind + body to work out which zone I’m in? (eg. deep breathing, body scan exercise)
What can I do to support myself when I’m in the red/yellow zone?
What has helped me in the past when I’m on the fence about moving? (eg. asking for help, choosing a low-intensity option, putting on my emotional support playlist)
What movement feels like the easiest “yes” when I’m in the yellow zone?
What are my favourite types of movement to do when I’m in the “hell yes” zone?