You’ve always viewed exercise as a means to have the “perfect” body: slim, toned, like the models you see in magazines, on social media. You’ve been told that this what you should look like, and that if you don’t, it’s because you eat too much and don’t exercise enough, and that cardio isn’t as good as strength training. And the yoga class you love? Great if you want to be more flexible but not a real “workout". Sounds familiar?

Just like me, chances are that you have been taught to equate fitness to thin. That being fit is an end goal, that when you’re fit, you’ll finally fit society’s beauty standards. But what if I told you there's another way to view movement? One where you see movement as a tool to self-love, instead of as a punishment? A tool to empowerment, instead of a way to make you thin?

Imagine a whole new reality where you don’t see exercise as a chore or a way to burn the extra cookie that you’ve eaten, but as a celebration of your body and what it can do. Where dancing, walking, doing yoga, swimming, is simply a way for you to connect to your body, feel your body, and realise your own strength. Or a way to process emotions, and feel good mentally and physically.

Welcome to joyful movement, and I’m so happy you’re here.

Rewrite Your Exercise Story

For too long, you have been fed a narrative that exercise is a tool for weight loss, a way to burn the extra calories you’ve eaten, and to “fix” your body so it can finally be thin. But your body is not a problem to fix. It's a vessel that deserves to be cherished, and listened to.

One essential step when shifting from exercising for weight loss to joyful movement is to redefine your “why". Instead of having a goal of calories to burn or weight to lose, ask yourself: What do I truly want from my fitness journey? (Is it more energy to keep up with my kids? Just have fun doing something I like? The confidence to try new things? Feel strong and powerful?).

When you have your why and know why you are doing this for, exercise becomes a gift to yourself rather than a punishment. I like to see it as a way to show up for myself, day after day. It’s 100% part of my self-care routine.

Find Something You LOVE

I have a contradictory mind, and I hate being told what to do and how to do it, and if it doesn’t make sense for me, however much willpower I’m going to try to put into it, I’m not going to sustain it. So going to the gym to lift weights because I was told that was going to give me the best results (at the time, the result expected was losing weight) just didn’t work for me. It just wouldn’t be sustainable for me to do something I don’t enjoy.

And here’s the thing: there's no one "right" way to move your body. Walking, dancing, yoga, etc… when MOVING to feel good and connected to your body is the goal, well, everything that makes you move is valid. Yep, even doing chores while dancing with loud music, gardening, or running after your kids. The key is to expand your definition as to what you count as moving. Remember that moving on a regular basis every day doesn’t have to mean doing a daily 45-minute HIIT workout. The more you can integrate little movement into your daily life, as long as it’s something you enjoy and doesn’t feel like a chore, the more sustainable and enjoyable it becomes.

And don’t forget that you’re human, and that what you want and need might fluctuate - you might LOVE yoga this week, but maybe next week all you will feel like doing is nice walks and dance parties in your bathroom. That’s ok too.

Tune In, Your Body Is Talking

I’ve mentioned it earlier in the article, but movement is a practice that I consider part of my self-care routine, and I encourage you to do the same. And here’s why.

One of the most powerful tools when cultivating a joyful movement practice is mindfulness. Being IN our body, feeling it, being present in it. And that’s achieved by giving it our full attention. That’s how we tap into our body’s wisdom and feel connected to it.

Rather than having a precise goal of what you do during your movement/workout session, and being rigid about it and feeling like a failure if you don’t stick to it 100%, joyful movement is about learning to listen to your bodily cues, and let your body lead the way. And yes, that sometimes means that you will need to rest instead of doing the workout you had planned. That’s ok, your body is guiding you. Equally, on days you have more energy and had planned a little Netflix binge, you might want to shake up your plans and move.

Cultivating this kind of mind-body connection takes practice, but the payoff is amazing. And this new mindset is sustainable, you will create a new practice that will last a lifetime.

Embrace The Journey

There’s one thing to remember here: joyful movement is a lifelong journey, it’s not something that you can set a goal for, and once you’ve reached it, you can stop. The whole point here is to embrace and ENJOY the journey.

Of course, there will be days when moving feels effortless and fun, and others when it feels like a struggle just to get dressed for it. Both are part of the process, and both are ok to feel.

The key is to tune in to your bodily cues, and learn to listen to your body. And above all, remember: you are worthy of love and respect, just as you are.

And if all of this feels like a stretch right now and you don’t know where to start, in my Body Freedom 1:1 coaching programme, we work on reframing your mindset around moving and exercising - even if you’ve always hated sports and exercising. Book your consult here.