🌱Wednesday Wellness - 28Jan26🌱

Hi Everyone - before we get into our Weekly Wellness tips, we wanted to acknowledge that our platform experienced an unexpected outage for most of today. Like many of you, we were surprised by the disruption, although it was apparently a planned outage, we did not receive any advance notification that this would occur. Our moderation team worked tirelessly all day to restore the platform and we are happy to share it is now back up and running.

We know how much you rely on this space, and we truly appreciate your patience, understanding, and resilience while we worked to get everything back online. While we do not expect this to happen again, you can have the confidence that we will stay on top of the issue until it is resolved if it occurs. Feel free to email mailto:helpline@bcna.org.au if you have any concerns, and it is worth noting that the online outages do not affect our Helpline phone lines.

Now to the important stuff - our Wednesday Wellness check in!✨

How has everyone been going with the movement tips we shared a few Wednesday Wellness check-ins ago? 

I don’t know about you, but I’m someone who gets really motivated to make big changes… and then life happens, things get busy, and those plans quietly drift into the background until the next burst of inspiration shows up. So consider this your little nudge! 😊

I’ve learned that I’m far more likely to stick to my goals when I truly understand the 'how' and 'why' behind them. For me, the insights below completely shifted my commitment to moving my body every day, even on the days when “movement” just means something light and gentle. I've recently learned the 'how' and 'why' the body responds to exercise the way we do, and I hope this information is helpful for you too! 

Remember to always seek guidance from your healthcare team before commencing a new execerise regime. 

🏃‍♀️How Your Body Responds to Exercise

0–10 minutes:
Your heart rate jumps, blood flow increases, your brain becomes more alert, and your body quickly switches between energy systems based on how hard you’re working.

After 1 hour:
Your body is in full efficiency mode, directing blood to the muscles that need it most and using the energy system best suited to the type of exercise you’re doing.

1 hour post‑exercise:
Everything begins returning to resting levels. Your body even over‑compensates, for example blood pressure can temporarily drop below normal (known as post‑exercise hypotension).

1 day later:
You might feel DOMS,  that normal “delayed muscle soreness” from tiny muscle fibre tears. Once your body adapts, soreness reduces. Gentle movement is usually fine if your form isn’t affected.

3 days later:
Your metabolic rate can stay elevated for up to 72 hours after certain workouts, meaning you’re still burning more energy long after you’ve finished.

1 week in:
Mitochondria (your energy generators) increase, boosting your energy production. Many people also notice improved mood and confidence.

2 weeks in:
Strength and fitness improvements become measurable. If paired with healthy eating, early changes in body composition may appear.

4 weeks in:
Improvements ripple across your physical, mental, social, and even financial wellbeing - more energy, fewer sick days, better productivity, and a general lift in quality of life.

Moral of the story:

Regular movement = a happier, healthier you. 💛

🏃‍♀️ For those who just found a wind of motivation to get their feet moving, don't forget that Carmen's FunRun Melbourne is coming up soon on February 15th! Join thousands of participants running, jogging, or walking through Melbourne on 15 February. It’s a fantastic opportunity to take on a new challenge, connect with others, and raise vital funds for BCNA to support people affected by breast cancer. 👉 Register here!