Working Out vs. Moving In
The purpose of this post is to shine a light on my - our - relationship with movement. Better known as “exercise”… or “working out”. I know how easy it is for exercise to become the enemy, the chosen source of punishment, the dictator of your worthiness. I used to be so rigid - so strict - about “working out”. I’d push my body insanely hard every damn day:
Mon: a Peloton ride + a HIIT workout
Tues: sprints on the treadmill + weights
Wed: an 8 mile hike + a Peloton ride.
You get the idea. Looking back at this time on my journey, I see the stories. The external conditions I’d believed needed to be met in order to be loved, worthy, desirable, and deserving:
I have to feel exhausted and depleted for this to “count” as a work out. If I’m not drenched in sweat - it doesn’t count.
If I miss a work out, I’m not going to be able to eat as much today.
If I don’t work out, my body will not be desirable. I won’t be desirable.
At the time, I was unable to feel desirable, to feel worthy, or to love myself unless some body else doing so gave me permission to - and, of course, that is not true self love. That is not sustainable. That is why so many of us, myself included, have fallen out of ‘workout routines’ or noticed that “ugh, I’m dreading the gym later” has become a daily recurring thought.
Something that has been so freeing to me on my health journey is trading in “working out” for moving in. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Peloton ride, HIIT workout, lifting session, power yoga, etc. but now it’s about listening to my body when it is craving that movement. Some weeks my body is craving a long run through the city, other times its craving more mindful stretching and yoga, other times its wanting a 20 min kettle bell HIIT workout. Truthfully, something I never gave my body permission to crave was rest.
At the end of the day, our bodies are made to be active. Our bodies do legitimately crave and NEED movement. However, we’ve been so conditioned and boxed in by the notion of “what counts” as exercise / working out that we’ve lost touch with how to tune in - how to tune in and move our body’s in a way that FEELS GOOD.
What if we got curious. Curious about what feels good in your body? Curious about what movement transports you into flow state? Curious about how moving your body can become a way you choose to live, instead of a thing you have to do?
When you reframe and give yourself the permission to move instead of the decree of dumbbells (any exercise out of self imposed obligation), it suddenly not only becomes a lot easier to find time to incorporate movement but you’ll notice its something you actually enjoy. It’s something that becomes a non-negotiable. It becomes a tool to help you ground back into the present moment while you relish in how good it can feel to live in your body. Feeling your lungs fill up with air, the different muscles that are contracting, the tingling warmth as you start to perspire and the wind as it cools your flushed skin. Instead of finding excuses to skip “working out”, you start to find excuses to move more - to find and incorporate more ways to feel this grounding, to feel good, strong, and empowered in your body.
When we think about “exercise”, most of us can think of a pretty short list of activities that qualify. This list probably includes: running, swimming, walking, hiking, lifting shit, and HIIT. Maybe there are few others in there, but for the majority of people I work with, those are the options they think are available to them. What if instead, exercise was anything that answered this question: “How do I like to move?”?. What if we asked that question and actually listened to our body’s answer?
The answer could be dancing, rollerblading, paddle boarding, pole dancing, yoga, zumba, jumping rope, playing hopscotch - literally anything your heart desires that feels good while you’re moving!
As soon as THIS reframe becomes your truth - the world of movement opens up! You’ll notice there are SO many ways that feel good to move in your body. The dread and burnout that’ve become synonymous with “exercise” begin to fall away. I invite you to take a look at how you’ve defined “exercise” or “working out” so far in your life and start to reframe these concepts. Start to put energy and awareness on what your body wants and what your body craves - and give yourself permission to listen to that and let movement become a constructive, nourishing part of your life.
I can honestly say I have experienced so much freedom, peace and increased physical strength from changing my perspective and relationship with “exercise”. I no longer work out, but move in.