How To Enjoy Movement

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Last updated on March 17th, 2024 at 12:04 am

As a kid, you automatically knew how to enjoy movement. Movement was probably intuitive, fun, and something you never felt like you had to force.

As you got older, society probably taught you that:

  • Movement had to be competitive
  • Weight loss was the purpose of exercising
  • You had to feel pain in order to achieve gains
  • Not exercising made you “lazy” and less desirable
  • Exercise was the punishment for eating enjoyable foods

Soon enough, exercising probably wen’t straight from fun and exciting to your biggest chore as an adult.

This article is going to explore what joyful movement is, how to reclaim feeling good about exercise and how to detach improving your physical fitness from the desire to lose weight.

Infographic in pastel colors on the key to enjoy movement

What Is Joyful Movement

Joyful movement is when you move your body for pleasure and experiences rather than using exercise as a way to make your body look a certain way or lose weight. 

Joyful movement examples include:  

  • Playing tag as a kid
  • Dominating red rover in gym class
  • The time you felt like a total badass holding “tree pose” for 3 minutes in yoga
  • Kicking ass in karate class
  • Being a self proclaimed dancing queen in your living room (and no-you don’t care how awful you actually look. You’re a rock star in your head!)

So often I hear people say: “I hate exercise.” What that usually translates to is you hate the way exercise has been made a moral obligation in our society and the pressure you put on yourself perform in physical activity.

The reality is- our bodies were designed to move and get rewarded for doing so (hello endorphins!). But enjoying movement been hijacked and killed by Diet culture. Diet culture tells you that the ONLY reason you should exercise is to lose weight and achieve thin privilege.

There are so many benefits of movement that have nothing to do with losing weight.

Exercise Vs. Movement

Exercise is a goal oriented form of movement that involves structure and repetition for the purpose of athletic progress. Exercise isn’t always a bad thing, but sometimes it can disrupt enjoying movement.

Movement is different than exercise because movement is not typically an end goal or progress. While all exercise is also movement, not all movement is exercise.

Exercise can sometimes lead to:

Examples of exercise:

  • Sports
  • Athletic competitions
  • Moving your body to reach a personal fitness goal.

Examples of movement:

  • Dancing
  • Casual walking
  • Chores
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Health Benefits of Joyful Movement

Physical activity has a ton of health benefits! This is why creating a healthy relationship with movement is so critical.

Benefits of joyful movement include:

The physical activity you choose should not feel like a chore. Choosing movement where you feel like you have to force yourself to do it will likely just make it so you stop exercising altogether.

infographic in pastel colors on 6 joyful movement ideas

Joyful Movement Ideas

You know your exercise is NOT joyful movement if you find that the #1 or #2 reason you choose the exercise is to lose weight or “bulk up.

Here are some awesome joyful movement Ideas:

  • Sports
  • Dancing 
  • Walking (take the dog or a friend)
  • Yardwork
  • Organizing
  • Hula Hooping
  • Swimming
  • Fitness video games
  • Exercise classes
  • Tag

Exercise in pursuit of weight loss will likely lead to weight loss rebound long term. It will also likely result in you resenting that type of movement long term.

It’s a good idea to choose exercises that aren’t intended for weight loss if you want to establish long lasting enjoyable routine with it.

infographic on exercise vs. movement

10 Tips For Enjoying Movement

Ditch movement geared towards weight loss for for movement you truly ENJOY!

Here are 10 tips for enjoying movement:

  1. Make movement a non-negotiable (set it in the schedule like an appointment). This DOESN’T mean we fail if we’ve missed a day.  We’re simply trying to establish a habit 
  2. Remember that every bit of movement counts- 10 minutes or 60 all have value!
  3. Make it the easiest thing in the world. After all, our bodies weren’t designed to exist stagnant. Have workout gear/shoes on hand.  Clean off your exercise gear (clothes piled on the treadmill folks? I see you!).  Keep your favorite workout videos handy. 
  4. Keep a list of exercises you enjoy 
  5. Keep an active music playlist
  6. Look for little wins along the way such as nailing timing, intricate spins or learning to connect with our dance partner. 
  7. If you need to take a day off- do it! 
  8. If a routine becomes mundane try a different activity or sport for a while. We can always return to one we’ve already practiced. 
  9. Pull in a friend for the activity
  10. Be comfortable

Truly appreciating joyful movement will often involve grieving the thin ideal.

I Stopped Working Out, And That’s Okay

If you are not enjoying the type of exercise or movement you are doing, STOP!

You know its time to stop working out or take a break from movement if:

  • You feel like you have to drag yourself to your work out routine
  • Not exercising gives you anxiety
  • You’re always feeling pressure to push yourself during exercise instead of enjoying the exercise experience
  • You are compensating for food you eat with exercise
  • Your primary goal is weight loss
  • You have an injury and you’re still pushing yourself to exercise
  • You’re sick and you’re still pushing yourself to exercise
  • You’re in recovery from an eating disorder

Sometimes you need to stop exercise completely to heal your relationship with movement. If you’re feeling like exercise is a chore, stop exercising for several weeks or several months. Don’t begin exercising again until you feel excited about moving your body instead of pressure to perform a certain way.

Infographic joyful movement health benefits

Joyful Movement Takeaways

The most important thing to remember if you truly want to enjoy movement is this:

  • Exercise does not increase your self-worth
  • you’re not heroes because you’ve mastered your movement journey! Try to refrain from offering unsolicited exercise advice.
  • Stick to your own journey. You don’t know someone else’s relationship with joyful movement and with their body.
  • What works for one person in exercises they enjoy will not work for everyone.

If you’re not sure how you like to move- take a break! Relax for a few weeks or a few months and don’t move again until you’re feeling a true motivation again!

A clever patient once told me “Don’t ever go to the gym when you’re not up for it.  Otherwise moving your body gets the same enthusiasm as taking a trip to the dentist’s office.” I totally get her vibe- and when the movement starts feeling like that for you, it’s probably a good idea to take a break! 

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Shena Jaramillo. Registered Dietitian
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