One of the things that took me into my mid 30’s to figure out, was how good movement makes my body feel.
I didn’t know. For years I thought “working out” meant I had to do a class with complicated moves, or running miles on a treadmill, or something that I had to dread. The biggest gamechanger for me has been finding a community and a purpose around moving my body. At first I went to classes because of the free gym care for my kids, and then I gradually built up to various programs where I did things on my own. It was really fun to see how hard I could push myself and to see what this body of mine could DO. That’s what I loved about CrossFit, it was an atmosphere of being an athelete and focused on movement over changing your body or “burning calories off.” Through that I discovered the ability to push myself to run a half marathon and do a Super Spartan race. I discovered my body could DO most anything I asked it to.
I like pushing myself, making goals and achieving them. I like how I feel when I make time for movement, whether it be a class, running, hiking with my kids, or pilates at home. The key is I make time to move in a way that I enjoy, and I celebrate what my body can do rather than how movement makes it look.
I truly think moving your body is the key for self care. It gives me so much confidence, and when I move my body I think about it less. It’s not about how many calories I can burn, it’s about moving my body beacuse I CAN. I respect it and want to treat it well.
Instead of crash diets and cleanses, can you think about what you can add into your day? Can you add some movement? Start small! I don’t always want to move my body, but I always feels better after. Can you add in something that sounds fun? Interesting? Even if it scares you a little! Training to run a half marathon was scary b/c I couldn’t easily run 1 miles when I started. Twelve weeks later I ran 13.1 and it was the most empowering thing ever. š«
How can you move your body more?
