Intuitive Eating Principle #9: Movement - Feel the Difference
In a world where the relentless pursuit of demanding workouts and rigid exercise routines often takes center stage, a shift in perspective is overdue. Rather than being solely preoccupied with the intense rigor of our physical activities, it is vital to take a moment to introspect and assess how these practices resonate with our well-being. Embracing a philosophy rooted in movement encourages us to prioritize our inner sensations, enabling us to connect with the inherent wisdom of our bodies. By pivoting our attention away from the external pressures associated with strict exercise, and instead focusing on the internal signals of positive influence, we open ourselves to a comprehensive and sustainable path towards enhanced health and overall vitality.
Exercise and the Diet Mentality
Frequently, when embarking on a new diet, individuals often initiate an exercise routine simultaneously in their endeavor to shed weight. This tendency to revert to a diet mentality becomes evident when the novelty of the diet fades, weight loss stalls, or exercise becomes burdensome. Consequently, the commitment to exercise and physical activity wanes. If your previous encounters with exercise have been intertwined with dieting or periods of insufficient nourishment, the potential for discovering the positive and enjoyable aspects of exercise remains unrealized.
Athletes and Exercise
For so many women, especially athletes, training plans replace exercise; they are a means to achieve new goals and break new records. Coupled with training plans are usually a strict diet of specific carbs, fats, and proteins. If you don’t exercise hard enough, the calorie deficit isn’t big enough and oftentimes results in athletes decreasing their food intake because they feel like they either don‘t deserve to eat or haven’t earned the right to eat more. In many sports, lower body weight is commonly associated with faster times, so many athletes can find themselves drastically under-weight, all in the pursuit of being faster than their last race or the competitor next to them.
Benefits of Movement
It is a well-known, studied fact, that exercise (any exercise) is better than none at all. But since so many of us have a distorted relationship with moving our bodies, we have forgotten (or maybe we never learned?) the MANY benefits of movement:
feel good
lower stress levels
increase energy levels
feel stronger
increased sense of well-being
improve sleep
might help you wake up
help you feel more connected to your body
boost your immune system
increase muscle and bone strength
raise HDL (good cholesterol) and decrease total cholesterol
increase stress tolerance
leave you feeling better
decrease blood pressure
reduce your risk of chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension, maybe some cancers)
Exercise Mind Traps
If you have adopted a diet mentality for an extended period of time, it's likely that elements of this mindset have infiltrated into patterns that discourage exercise:
The it’s-not-worth-it trap
Convinces individuals that the effort put into exercising doesn't yield significant benefits unless it’s a specific duration or frequency of exercise (e.g. 1h of running, exercising more than 5x/week), leading to diminished motivation. However, this overlooks the cumulative positive effects of regular exercise on physical and mental well-being, which contribute to long-term health and overall quality of life.
Mistaking Being Busy for Physical Activity
Mistaking being busy for physical exercise is a common pitfall where individuals convince themselves that their busy daily routines can replace intentional physical activity. This misconception overlooks the nuanced advantages that purposeful exercise and movement offer to our bodies and minds, e.g. “running around” doing errands in your car is not the same as moving your body in a mindful way.
The no-time-to-spare trap
By making movement a non-negotiable priority, you are not only acknowledging that exercise is important, but you are also making time to incorporate consistent and delightful motion into your life. A few great ways of keeping yourself on track is to partner with a friend for routine walks, hire a health coach to keep you accountable to your goals, or hire a trainer to make movement a priority on your schedule.
The if-I-don’t-sweat-it-doesn’t-count trap
For so long, we have been taught that only intense, sweat-inducing workouts are effective, dismissing the value of other activities. However, this mindset fails to recognize that accumulated movements and activities throughout the day contribute significantly to overall health. Short walks, household chores, and gentle exercises like stretching and mobility work all contribute to improved circulation, joint health, and mental well-being, even if they don't necessarily result in heavy sweating. In fact, embracing a variety of movements throughout the day can help prevent sedentary behavior and promote a more sustainable, enjoyable approach to physical well-being.
Whether you are a former athlete who has consistently exercised for years and is looking to find balance, or you are new to exercise and trying to navigate how to add more to your life, the first step is acknowledging that moving your body feels good, no matter what the exercise or movement entails. Let’s get started!
