5 Tips to Build a Healthy Relationship with Exercise
Feb 19, 2024
We often carry the weight of societal expectations, personal aspirations, pressure at work and at home. It can be frustrating to take on all of these tasks AND try to make time for maintaining our own health and fitness journey. In a world that often measures success in terms of visible and immediate results, it’s easy to fixate on numbers because they don’t require us to go too deep - who has time for that with everything else we’re balancing?
But exercise is not just about the numbers. It’s not just about burning calories, losing weight, or going down a pants size. It’s a powerful tool to process and release emotions, and help us manage everything else that we’re juggling both personally and professionally. If we can allow exercise to become a safe space to explore ourselves - whether it’s dancing out frustration, jogging away stress, or engaging in activities that bring emotional catharsis - we can also cultivate a deeper connection with ourselves that will ultimately help us show up more presently and confidently for those around us.
Having a positive relationship with exercise sounds great, but how do we actually get there?
It took me years to figure out that I didn’t have to kill myself at the gym for an hour a day, AT LEAST 5x/week in order to receive the benefits of exercise. That’s because I was approaching it from a place of self-hate and a huge lack of understanding. I exercised because I thought I had to in order to change my body, lose weight, and eat what I wanted. And I thought it had to look a specific way in order to count.
These stories are rooted in the fitness industry’s genius marketing that targets insecurities, and professionals who claim their approach is the best one.
My question is, though - The best for what? And for who?
When it comes to movement, it all counts, and what works best for one person might not work best for another. It always depends, and anyone who claims their program is the last one you’ll need is probably not taking into account your specific lifestyle, needs, and stress. Mental, emotional, and physical health should all be taken into consideration when making decisions on how to move.
The central nervous system is responsible for sending signals to the muscles to contract when exercising. This is why warm ups are so important. Warm ups are meant to prepare the body so you don’t get hurt, and a good warm up will activate the central nervous system to respond appropriately to the type of exercise you’re going to perform. The central nervous system will hopefully get the memo and be prepared to take on a higher intensity, whether that’s lifting heavy, going for a run, or even stretching - it’s important to ease into any kind of movement.
The central nervous system gets overwhelmed when taking on too much, whether that’s chemical, physical, or emotional stress. This is why some days may be more exhausting on your body than others - it all depends on what else is going on in your life and how much your nervous system is responding throughout the day.
All that being said, you can start tapping into your body and learning its signals so that you can move appropriately in a way that actually supports you and your life. And it always depends on you and how you choose to express yourself!
High personal or professional stress? Some people turn to running, dancing, or something high in cardio. Others may prefer yoga or a mobility session. And there are some that are able to lift the heaviest weights on these days.
The same goes for chemical stress, ie. the toxins that come into the body via food and environment. Maybe your system is working hard to break down the drinks from the night before (not saying you have to give up drinking, just consider this before going into your workout the next day).
Even the amount of sleep you get has an impact on the nervous system and plays a role in what your body can handle.
The point is, when you outsource your choices, you’re denying yourself an opportunity to go within and build a relationship with yourself. Your body has the answers you need. You just have to learn how to listen.
5 Tips to Build your Relationship with Exercise
1. Challenge your current beliefs around exercise
Do you think it needs to look a certain way? Do you actually enjoy what you’re doing? What are your intentions? Are you associating it with weight loss, or punishment because you ate something high in calories? Challenge these beliefs and change the intention behind your workouts.
2. Make it fun
Contrary to popular belief, all movement counts. Including your solo dance parties when you should be cleaning the house. It may take some time, but get out there and try new things to make sure you’re enjoying yourself!
3. Connect to your emotions
Take the rest of your life into consideration, especially on those days that you just don’t feel like it. What else is going on in your life? Is it possible your body needs more rest and recovery right now? Know that that’s okay, too.
4. Check in before, during, and after
Before going into your workout, ask if this will serve you right now? Is it what you need? If you decide to go for it, check back in during your workout to see if it’s still feeling good. How do you notice your energy shifting? I’m also a huge fan of taking a moment after a workout to connect to my body, thank it for doing what it just did, and check in to see if I achieved my original intention for moving in the first place. The post-workout check in is a beautiful opportunity to go deeper within and build your relationship with your body.
5. Stay curious
This can be frustrating and it will take time to build. If you lead with curiosity rather than judgment, you will learn a lot about yourself and your body. As best as you can, stay curious by asking yourself questions rather than assuming or making it mean something about who you are.
The journey to rebuilding your relationship with exercise is not just a physical transformation but a holistic endeavor that involves reconnecting with your body, mind, and spirit. This process is a wholehearted exploration of self-care, personal empowerment, and reclaiming joy in every aspect of life.
Remember, this journey is not just about reshaping your body; it's about reshaping your life in alignment with your authentic self.
Have fun, my friends. That matters, too!
If you're ready to take a personalized and holistic approach to your fitness routine, let’s connect about what working together would look like.
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