Where does exercise fit in your world?
Is it on your daily must-do list? Is it a good intention that you follow through on sometimes? Is it a guilt-inducing nuisance? Have you banished it all together?
What purpose does it serve? Is it an excellent tool for relieving stress and feeling good? Or does it create stress and pain?
Does it help you maintain your mental and physical health? Or does it tax your mental and physical well-being?
Is it merely to pursue weight-loss or maintain your weight? Or would you do it if it had nothing to do with your body size?
Is it a blessing? Or a chore?
The way we move our bodies matters.
I can’t tell you how many times through the years I’ve tried to take up running. Running is good for you, I’d tell myself. You should run, I’d say. (Just like I should eat kale.) So many people you know love to run. You can learn to love it, too. I had so many reasons why I should be a runner that I would exhaust myself trying to talk myself into trying it again. The fact that I disliked it so much surely had to be some fault with me, not the activity that so many others loved. I wasn’t self-disciplined enough. I was lazy. I didn’t have enough persistence to catch the vision others have, God bless them.
It took me too long to realize that running just isn’t my thing. It never will be. And that’s okay!
I love other kinds of movement: walking, dancing, weight training, playing with my grandkids, hiking, tennis, yoga. The list is pretty long. So why did I keep trying to make myself run?
I think the answer to that is one that traps us in lots of different ways when it comes to diet and exercise. We do or try to do things because we think we should. Some “expert” has said... The latest research all says… Our parents always taught us… We read in a magazine or online… Our friends or community or culture all do…
Here’s a thought: how about if we look at movement as an act of self-care?
Such a seemingly simple shift, but consider the implications. If we respect ourselves in this area, we’ll choose activities that help our bodies feel good, clear our minds, and maybe even make our hearts sing. We’ll exercise alone or with friends, whichever serves us better. We’ll go hard or go easy, whichever our mind and body need at the moment. We’ll rest without guilt when that’s what we need. We’ll view exercise and movement as a “get to” rather than a “have to.” It can energize us and feed our souls rather than exhausting us and draining our inner resources. This type of activity is called “mindful exercise” by some.
Here are four components of mindful exercise from psychologist and researcher, Rachel Calogero and Kelly Pedrotty –
Enhances the mind-body connection and coordination, and does not confuse or deregulate it.
Alleviates mental and physical stress, and does not contribute to and amplify stress. (Like I was doing when I made myself run.)
Provides genuine enjoyment and pleasure, and is not used for punitive reasons.
Is used to rejuvenate the body, not to exhaust or deplete it.
I would love to think that you’re already living in such a way that your reaction to the ideas in this post would be, “Well, duh!” But just in case you’re not, I share these things.
I’ve come to see that when I’m not moving appropriately for my current circumstances, I’m neglecting important physical, mental, and emotional parts of myself. I’m out of balance. Let’s focus on being good to ourselves and being nice, balanced people. We deserve it. And the people in our world deserve it, too.
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE – Ask yourself why you exercise or why you don’t. Don’t settle for the easy answers. Take an honest inventory.
Week 2 – What is Intuitive Eating?
Week 3 – Honor Your Hunger
Week 4 – Make Peace With Food
Week 5 – Get Sassy With Your Food Cops
Week 6 – Feel Your Fullness
Week 7 – Embrace Pleasure
Week 8 - Is Emotional Eating a Problem?