Joyful Movement: How to transform your relationship with exercise

Does the thought of exercising bring up a mix of emotions? 

Do you keep calling yourself lazy as a reason for not engaging in movement? 

Or maybe you feel defeated every time you do start some type of exercise routine only to quit shortly after?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re definitely not alone. 

This post explains the difference between exercise and joyful movement and how to move your body in a way that feels enjoyable and sustainable. 

The 3 types of people in relation to exercise

There are 3 types of people when it comes to associations with exercise: those that say they hate it, those that are a bit too obsessed with it, and those that are indifferent about it. Don’t get me wrong, we all have times when we are dreading a workout. The key to these variations is all about intention.  

Let’s dive deeper into joyful movement and how to become someone that likes exercise.

The “I hate exercise” mentality

If the thought of moving your body makes you anxious, overwhelmed, or stressed, you might have a negative association with physical activity. 

These negative thoughts around movement could stem from being forced into an activity or sport that you didn’t truly enjoy, or on the flip side, perhaps you identified as an athlete growing up and now struggle with finding a new way of enjoying movement.

If you’ve struggled with an eating disorder specifically, exercise bulimia, your avoidance of exercise might be a protective mechanism in order to avoid a relapse. If that’s the case, it’s important to work with an eating disorder specialized dietitian to help you work through that in a gentle manner.

For those unfamiliar with the term exercise bulimia, exercise bulimia is a disorder characterized by an addiction to exercise, where compulsive exercise is used as a means to “purge” or burn calories in order to compensate for eating and control weight.

Those who have struggled with compulsive exercise in the past could benefit from a break from joyful movement altogether. Learning to cope with uncomfortable feelings without engaging in exercise can help you redefine your relationship with movement once you’ve created some space and built other coping skills.

Oftentimes people who hate or avoid exercise tend to place blame on their character and say things like:

“I’m too lazy to exercise”

“My body/mind can’t handle it” 

“Exercise feels like a chore”

Does any of that sound like you? If so, I’m here to tell you that you, your mind and your body are not to blame, but rather the drive to exercise is. 

The diet industry emphasizes exercise as a means to change one’s body while overlooking more important benefits, like improving mood, energy level and memory.

When the intention around movement is primarily driven by wanting to see changes in your body, you might find yourself overly obsessing over how you look in the mirror, a behavior we call “body checking”, in hopes to see quick and noticeable results. 

Body checking or taking before and after photos of yourself, two behaviors that are super normalized in our diet-obsessed society, can ultimately lead to negative body talk, low self esteem and an unhealthy obsession with food and exercise.

Other intentions that are considered harmful can include focusing on your weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass percentage, calories burned, or seeking validation from people around you that your body looks good.

When the primary goal of exercise is external, it’s highly likely that your motivation to continue with whatever physical activity you’re doing will diminish over time…especially if you’re not actually enjoying it along the way.

What joyful movement is & what it isn’t

Joyful movement is…

• moving your body in a way that not only pushes you to get stronger but to also have fun along the way. 

• about feeling empowered and accomplished.

• an activity that releases stress.

• exercise that doesn’t always feel like exercise.

• something that you can stay consistent with.

• 10 minutes one day, and an hour another day.

• flexible. 

Joyful movement is not 

• a moral obligation

• focusing on calories burned or the number on the scale

• taking before and after pictures of your body

• pushing yourself to exercise when you're sick, sore, or weak.

• forcing yourself to do it as punishment.

• doing the same type and amount of movement every single day.

• being hard on yourself for taking a day off or day I say, A WEEK OFF!
  
  

How to find your form of joyful movement

If you’re coming to terms with the fact that your relationship with exercise is back and white, it’s time to find the gray. Joyful movement will do exactly that! Implementing these four strategies will help you move away from that all or nothing mentality.

Side note - if you are currently struggling with an eating disorder, I highly recommend working with a professional to determine whether or not any form of movement is acceptable at this time. A registered dietitian can help you determine what is appropriate and for how long.

1. Create a movement timeline

In order to find out what type of movement “sparks joy” (as Marie Kondo says), we have to start from the very beginning. 

ACTIVITY: Grab a blank piece of paper and a pencil and draw a horizontal line in the middle of the paper. Next, create a timeline from the day you were born, up to your current age.

Although not mandatory, try to include some information on the type of movement you were engaging in at every age. Anything that involves moving your body counts as movement, including crawling as a baby, playing tag with your friends, and gardening (if that’s ever been your hobby). 

As you list out all of the various movements you did up until today, list any other details that you can remember in relation to mood, your body, and any feelings around food and exercise at the time. This will give you a better understanding of how you felt overall during those activities. Don’t stress if you can’t remember these for every age – anything you add here is a bonus! 

Once you’ve completed your movement timeline, try to find one form of exercise that you feel excited about. It might be something you’ve done in the past or it might be something completely new. Either way is okay!

While not absolutely necessary, I typically recommend finding a form of movement that you can do outside in nature as opposed to a gym. If exercise generally brings up a lot of anxiety, being able to hear the birds chirping or see the beauty of the outdoors can put your mind at ease.

Choosing to do movement in the comfort of your own home works as well! Studies show that even looking at a picture of nature can relax us. 

Some outdoor examples of joyful movement can be walking your dog (or a friend’s dog), swimming, going on a bike ride, ice skating, building a snowman, kayaking, canoeing, horseback riding, signing up for a charity walk, or going on a hike. There are SO many options to choose from!

If you’d rather do an indoor activity at the comfort of your own home, you could try hula hooping, having a dance party in your bedroom, cleaning, vacuuming, playing with your kids/cousins/nephews or nieces/grandchildren or looking into a yoga or pilates class on YouTube. 

If you’re trying a new form of movement for the first time, whether that be at a gym or outdoors, see if a friend can go with you to help ease your nerves.

2. Start slow

Whatever form of joyful movement you choose, remember to take the slow and steady approach. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your relationship with movement. 

Going from 0 to 100 with exercise can lead to injuries and burnout – two things we want to avoid so that your relationship with movement can be sustainable. I know this can be challenging at times, especially if you’re starting to have more motivation around exercise, but I still encourage you to take it easy in the beginning.

Starting slow can mean different things to different people. If it’s been a while since you’ve engaged in exercise, I suggest starting with 1 day per week for 0-30 minutes. Despite popular belief, engaging in even 10 minutes of movement counts as exercise! 

If you believe exercise only counts if you’re sweating, it’s time to challenge that thought process. Learning to acknowledge 10 minutes of non-vigorous movement as exercise is a win in and of itself. You’ll be surprised how your relationship with exercise changes when there’s a gentle and more flexible mentality around moving your body.

3. Check in with yourself

Once you’ve picked a form of movement that sounds fun to you, it’s time to integrate mindfulness into your practice. Oftentimes mindfulness is associated with food but you best believe it has a big role in joyful movement as well.

No different than how you tune into your body’s hunger, fullness and satisfaction throughout eating, it’s important to check in with yourself before, during and after exercise. 

Let me elaborate -

Before engaging in any type of movement, notice what your intentions are before exercising. Try to see whether your motives are coming from a healthy place or not. 

Healthy motives: 

• You have energy and are feeling up to doing some form of movement.

• You know you like the feel-good endorphins post workout. 

• You’ll feel ready to take on the rest of the day. 
  
  

Disordered motives: 

• You ate out last night and think you have to “work it off”.

• You weighed yourself this morning and saw a higher weight than you’re comfortable with.

• You feel like you have to.

You might frequently feel like you’re dragging yourself to engage in some type of exercise – FYI: you’re human and that’s super normal. That doesn’t always mean your intentions with movement are for the wrong reasons! In a situation like this, scan your body to see if you physically feel okay to engage in joyful movement. 

If you’re sore, sick, weak, have too much on your agenda today or didn’t get enough sleep the night before, that’s a sign to give yourself the day off.

Let’s assume you did this initial check in with yourself and found that you’re feeling good to engage in joyful movement. Awesome! Once you’ve chosen an activity, check-in with yourself halfway through the joyful movement you decided on. 

If at any point you find yourself getting overly exhausted or weak, it’s time to call it quits for the day. You do not have to exercise for a certain amount of time for it to count. Like I said before, even 5-10 minutes for the day is sufficient. 

Once you’ve completed your joyful movement for the day, do one last check-in with yourself. How are you feeling? Are there any thoughts coming up around your body? If any of them are critical, can you challenge them from a non-judgmental, objective lens?

This whole process of checking in before, during, and after might seem annoying but the more you practice, the easier it will be for you to automatically honor your body’s needs with compassion and respect.

4. Safety first

As you explore what joyful movement can look like for you, remember to implement intrinsic and extrinsic safety measures. If you have experienced harassment, stares or negative comments because of your body, movement might feel anxiety provoking in certain settings. Before engaging in any movement, consider your surroundings and time of day.

We also can’t talk about joyful movement without talking about stretching. If you’re rolling your eyes at the thought of warming up beforehand, I get it. I, too, once thought it was all nonsense. Take it from someone who has paid the price for not warming up properly before a workout - it’s needed!

Stretching before and after movement can actually improve your strength and performance overall. Consistent stretching can improve your flexibility and has the ability to positively impact your physical and mental health. If you’ve ever tried a yoga class, you’ll know that balance and flexibility is a challenge in and of itself - both mentally and physically!

Wrapping it up

If you’ve never considered yourself to be someone that likes exercise, it might be time to explore joyful movement. Remember, this process takes time and you may have to experiment with various activities before you find one that you truly vibe with. Be gentle with yourself throughout this process.

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