We formally learn about the importance of exercise in elementary school. Everyone knows exercise has lots of benefits: lowers blood pressure, increases flexibility and endurance, promotes better sleep, boosts energy, improves mood, prevents stress, helps maintain strong muscles and bones, etc. No one ever says, “wow, I didn’t know exercise is good for me.”
The problem is that these health reasons are usually not the big motivator to exercise. Instead, because we are pressured by society and diet culture to subscribe to an “ideal body”, the biggest motivation to exercise tends to be to lose weight and/or to control body shape and size.
When motivation to exercise is primarily to control body size and shape, we set ourselves up for disappointment. If we gain weight, or if we don’t get the results we want, we blame ourselves. We call ourselves “lazy”, our self-esteem goes down, and we put way too much focus into our self-worth being related to how we look. The reality is that engaging in difficult, boring workouts is not sustainable long-term.
The workout mentality we are expected to adopt is that you have to work hard to get results. Exercise mottos like “no pain, no gain”, “if there is no struggle, there is no progress”, “train insane or remain the same” are all accepted as healthy inspiration in the fitness world. And this leads us to believe that simple exercise, like going for a walk, does not count for anything.
How can anyone stay motivated to exercise long-term when the attitude is that exercise doesn’t count unless we work really hard?
This is where joyful movement comes to play. When we can shift our attitude to prioritize health (vs. controlling our body shape and size), we can then begin to choose exercise we enjoy. When we can accept that going for walks, going on a hike, yardwork, etc. are acceptable forms of exercise for our health, then we can see how exercise fits into our life long-term. Joyful movement promotes the attitude that exercise is fun.
Joyful movement is simply choosing to move our bodies in ways which bring us joy. Sometimes this is a stroll on a sunshiny day, while in contrast, this could be a 3-mile trail run. What is important, is that we are engaging in exercise which feels good. This won’t always look the same in life, and that’s okay.
When you allow yourself to truly practice joyful movement, you will stop shaming yourself, and you will have a positive relationship with exericse you can sustain long-term.
Did you know joyful movement is recommended for people who have eating disorders or engage in disordered eating? If you have a loved one with an eating disorder, I have lots of tips for how to be a better support. Click here to sign-up for my ecourse Eating Disorders 101 and get instant access!
English