Let’s rebrand exercise as “movement”
Many of us have grown up believing that exercise has to fit into a certain mold — it has to be done a certain way, for a certain amount of time, producing a specific result in order for it to "count." But that’s just not true. I’m loving the societal push to rebrand exercise as “movement,” as it opens up the possibilities and options for people who may not respond well to the idea of traditional exercise. It can help shift your mindset from viewing exercise as punishment to something that can proactively improve your overall health — mental and physical.
Here are a few ways you can benefit from this rebrand:
Stop obsessing over fitness tracking. We wear devices that track our heart rate, steps and calories burned and use apps to track how many calories we're eating. It's easy to get wrapped up in this and beat ourselves up when we don't hit our daily goals. People wrongly assume that in order for a workout to be effective, it has to be long, intense and pain-inducing, but that's just flat wrong. Instead of being consumed by the numbers, be proud of any intentional movement you were able to do for the day.
Choose activities that you actually enjoy. If you're absolutely miserable in your fitness routine, it's going to be hard to stay consistent. Exercise isn't one size fits all; everyone has different styles and likes. I encourage you to get out and try different forms of movement to learn what you enjoy. Try some group fitness classes at your local gym or virtual classes from home. Think outside the box. You don't have to be in a physical gym building to have an effective workout. Going for a walk with your family counts, shooting hoops counts, having an impromptu dance party with your kid counts.
Change the time of day you move. Much like the style of movement you do, the time of day can impact your mindset as well. If you're struggling and unmotivated to move in the morning, try in the afternoon (even your lunch break), for an added boost of energy to finish out your day.
Think about your "why." If all you're ever focused on is losing weight, you may lose all motivation once you hit that goal or feel extremely frustrated if you're unable to meet it. Think about other non-scale victories you can achieve through movement like more energy, better sleep, improved strength, elevated mood, etc. While you may not physically see these things, they are indeed happening and improve your overall quality of life.
Remember that consistency is far more important than motivation. No one is going to feel motivated to move all the time. You will see more fruit from moving consistently, even if it's not perfect or your best. It's also helpful to shift your language from have to to get to, as a reminder that the ability to move is a blessing and something we shouldn't take for granted.
