Moving the Body, Calming the Mind: Reflections on Exercise and Rest
As a GP, I spend much of my time encouraging patients to look after their physical health, but I’ve learned—both professionally and personally—that the benefits of exercise extend far beyond the body. Movement is medicine for the mind.
Over the past few months, I’ve been attending mum and baby pilates classes as part of my treatment plan with the perinatal mental health team. At first, I approached these sessions with a sense of duty, thinking of them as another “intervention” to tick off the list. But what I’ve discovered is something much richer.
The gentle stretching and strengthening exercises have helped ease tension in my body.
The rhythm of movement has given me a sense of grounding when my thoughts feel scattered.
Perhaps most importantly, the shared space with other mothers has reminded me that recovery and resilience are collective journeys, not solitary ones.
Exercise, in this context, isn’t about achieving peak fitness or chasing performance goals. It’s about reconnecting with myself, finding calm in the chaos, and allowing my body to carry me through healing.
Learning to Winter
Alongside these classes, I’ve been reading our book club’s latest pick: Wintering by Katherine May. It’s a beautiful meditation on the cycles of life, the inevitability of difficult seasons, and the wisdom of rest.
May writes about “winter” not just as a season of the year, but as a metaphor for those periods of life when energy wanes, when we feel fragile, and when the world seems to demand less of us. Instead of resisting, she invites us to bed down into winter—to embrace rest, reflection, and renewal.
This has resonated deeply with me. In medicine, we often emphasise activity, productivity, and progress. Yet healing also requires stillness. Just as exercise strengthens the mind through movement, rest strengthens it through pause.
Balancing Movement and Stillness
What I’m learning—both in the pilates studio and through May’s words—is that mental health thrives on balance.
Movement helps release stress hormones, boosts mood, and reconnects us with our bodies.
Rest allows us to process, to recover, and to prepare for the next season of growth.
Together, they form a rhythm that sustains wellbeing. As a GP, I see this lesson reflected in my patients’ lives every day. As a person, I’m living it myself.
A Gentle Invitation
If you’re navigating your own “winter,” whether through new parenthood, illness, or simply the natural ebb of life, I’d encourage you to explore both sides of this coin. Find a form of movement that feels kind to your body. Allow yourself the grace of rest without guilt.
Exercise and rest are not opposites—they are partners in the ongoing work of caring for our mental health.
