Day 1: Stay Strong – Physical Well-Being
Striving for regular activity, good diet and nutrition, enough sleep, and recovery. Limiting addictive substances and seeking help for physical health when needed.
By Lauren Shurson and Patty Beck, MWL Legal Athletes Affinity Group – LCL appreciates this collaboration.
If you’re feeling like you’re too busy to make time for physical activity, you’re not alone. Lawyers typically work long hours making it difficult to prioritize self-care. While understandable and common, one of the risks of focusing too much on work is that it can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation given the individualized nature of our work.
Research before and after the pandemic has shown that many lawyers grapple with feelings of loneliness and isolation (a 2018 research study found that lawyers are the loneliest workers in the U.S.).[1] Even more concerning is that a lack of social connection is considered as dangerous to our health as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily.[2]
The good news is that one of the best ways to combat this is through social connection, which is shown to significantly improve mental health and makes it more likely that we’ll engage in other healthy habits like physical activity.[3] Including others in our physical activity can help us feel motivated to make it a priority because it can help us feel more connected to those around us and less guilty about taking time away from work or from family and friends to exercise on our own.
There are lots of ways to do this including inviting a colleague for a walk over the lunch hour, signing up for a group fitness class or running club with friends and family, and participating in recreational sports leagues with members of your community.
As with any new habit, it’s best to start small and build from there. If you’re unsure of where to start, consider joining the Minnesota Women Lawyers Legal Athletes Affinity Group. The Legal Athletes meet monthly to share ideas, personal stories of successes and challenges in work and life and affords an opportunity to build connections with other lawyers virtually and through in-person events focused on physical fitness. The Legal Athletes support its members through candid conversations about staying motivated to be active while juggling demanding schedules and life commitments. We brainstorm ways to make working out a habit and we make it fun by trying new workout classes, hiking new trails, and attending community events and races.
We help hold each other accountable to prioritize physical activity and mental health by offering members support when our schedules truly won’t allow for it. By prioritizing physical activity and supporting each other to maintain a routine, the Legal Athletes demonstrate that working out isn’t a chore to check off the list but a lifestyle that promotes physical and mental wellbeing in our profession and community.
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[1] See America’s Loneliest Workers, According to Research (Harvard Business Review, 2018) [https://hbr.org/2018/03/americas-loneliest-workers-according-to-research]; See Stressed, Lonely, and Overcommitted: Predictors of Lawyer Suicide Risk (Patrick Krill, 2023) [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9956925/].
[2] See Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community (2023) [https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf].
[3] Id.