Feel the Difference of Joyful Movement - Intuitive Eating Principle 9
Contrary to what diet culture says, exercise is not a punishment or just a way to burn calories and lose weight. Exercise has so many benefits that have nothing to do with changing the size and shape of our body.
When you shift your focus of exercise to how it makes you feel, movement will seem like less of a chore and you will find that you actually want to get moving.
Movement - feel the difference is the is the ninth principle of a framework known as Intuitive Eating. If you’d like to learn more about the first eight principles, check out these posts:
What is intuitive eating?
Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach to eating that was developed by two registered dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. There are 10 principles of intuitive eating with a goal of helping you improve your relationship with food and your body.
Reject the diet mentality
Honor your hunger
Make peace with food
Challenge the food police
Discover the satisfaction factor
Feel your fullness
Cope with your emotions with kindness
Respect your body
Movement - feel the difference
Honor your health - gentle nutrition
New to intuitive eating and want to learn more? Check out this blog post.
Evaluate your current relationship with exercise
What are your thoughts on exercise? Many ex-dieters loathe exercise because it has gone hand in hand with the negative experiences of dieting. There are a few possible ways that dieting could have impacted your relationship with exercise:
The diet had an unrealistic exercise requirement.
You didn't "succeed" on the diet and therefor feel like exercise "doesn't work".
You viewed exercise only as a means of burning calories or losing weight.
You were crash dieting and determined to lose weight quickly and therefor do too much exercise in a short period of time.
The diet was low in calories and carbs and that made exercise not enjoyable.
Carbs are your friend
When you don't eat enough calories or carbs, exercise is not fun. If exercise is not fun, of course you don't want to do it. It's not a matter of willpower at this point - you just can't function on an empty tank!
Carbohydrates are the body's preferred sources of fuel for exercise. For example, running 2 miles requires the equivalent of 2 slices of bread!
If you don't give your body enough carbohydrates, it will use your muscle for fuel instead. This makes it very difficult to build muscle and strength, which may feel defeating if you have been exercising for a while and not noticed any improvements in strength.
Remove weight loss from the focus
If your main goal with exercise is to lose weight, this won't be motivating for very long. When the "payoff" doesn't happen quick enough, you might throw in the towel. And on the flip side, using weight loss as the focus may lead to exercise abuse if you feel like you are never small enough or thin enough no matter how much you exercise.
Exercise has many health benefits that don't include losing weight, such as:
Preserving/increasing lean muscle mass and subsequent improvements in metabolism.
Improved satiety cues and appetite regulation.
Decreased risk of developing various chronic diseases.
Increased bone, heart, and lung strength.
Focus on how exercise feels
Instead of focusing on weight loss, focus instead on how exercise makes you feel. Ask yourself how you feel during workouts as well as during periods of inactivity?
Are you sleeping better?
Are you able to manage stress better?
Do you feel more alert and energized?
Do you feel more determined and empowered?
Ditch the numbers games. Don’t worry about how many calories did I burned, what the number on the scale says, if you closed the rings on your Apple watch Focusing on this external information takes away from interoceptive awareness and tuning in to how you are actually feeling.
All movement counts
Even though fitness culture tells us “no pain, no gain”, this is far from the truth. All joyful movement will provide your body with benefits, even if you don’t sweat and you aren’t sore afterwards. Your workouts still “count” if they are under an hour and if you don’t participate five times per week.
Think of it this way - if you go on a 10 minute walk 3 times each week on your lunch break at work, that is 26 hours per year that you have spent moving your body!
How to incorporate joyful movement
Build activity into daily living
Again, all movement counts. While intentional workouts are great, increasing our routine activity will help to reap the health benefits of physical activity. You can park your car farther away and take the stairs rather than the elevator. Walk your dog, ride your bike to work. Even though these aren’t “intentional” workouts, the health benefits are still there.
As you begin to incorporate movement into your daily living, it will be important to come prepared. Bring walking shoes to work or when traveling. Choose hotels that have exercise facilities. Pack light equipment such as a jump rope or resistance bands.
Be comfortable
Exercise is way less fun when wearing clothes that don't fit or aren't appropriate for the weather. Wear clothes that allow you to move and breathe.
If you feel uncomfortable showing a lot of skin, try an oversized lightweight t-shirt and leggings or bike shorts. Although the fashion and athleticwear industries have a long way to go in terms of size inclusivity, more and more exercise clothing brands are expanding into larger sizes. If you enjoy dressing "cute" for your workouts, investing in pieces you like can make the workouts more enjoyable.
It’s also important to note that comfortable shoes are key. High quality sneakers tend to be a solid investment not only for comfort, but also for injury prevention.
Make it fun
Rather than focusing on frequency, duration, step count, calories burned, etc., focus on the pleasure factor! The more you have fun with your form of joyful movement, the more you will want to participate in it consistently and over the long term.
Here are a few types of joyful movement that you may find enjoyable:
Take an exercise class at a local YMCA or gym. This can be a place to make some new friends!
Join a team sport. It’s okay if you don’t think you are very good at it!
Exercise at home and make it fun by turning on your favorite TV show or listen to an audiobook or podcast (I’ve got a good one). If you live in a walkable area, you can also enjoy these while walking outside when the weather permits.
Diversity your movement. Engage in a few different types of activities to keep it fun.
Make it a priority
Everyone tends to agree that exercise is important, but so many of us don't make time for it. Making movement a priority is NOT the same as setting rigid rules and guidelines. Remember, anything counts! And rest should be prioritized too.
Shift from using the term "exercise" to "movement" if this helps it to feel less burdensome. Make it realistic - it is not about going to the gym (unless you enjoy this). Find your version of joyful movement.
If you can afford it, explore hiring a personal trainer. Many people find the accountability of working with a trainer very beneficial.
Rest is productive
Rest is just as important as exercise. Yes, you read that correctly.
Many fear that once they stop exercising, they won't be able to start again. This is common all-or-nothing thinking seen in dieters. But this time is different - you aren't dieting. You are exercising for reasons beyond just changing your body shape or size. Taking a day, week, or even a few weeks away from your exercise routine will not make or break your health.
Sometimes the “healthy” choice will be to NOT exercise. More is not always better. Some examples of when you should choose rest over pursing a workout include:
If you only got a few hours of sleep.
If you have a cold coming on.
If you had a very exhausting day and feel worn out.
If you are very low on time and trying to squeeze in a workout will just cause more stress.
The bottom line - listen to your body. As you improve your relationship with exercise, you might even find that you crave the feeling it gives you. You will learn to appreciate rest days while simultaneously look forward to your workouts.
Signs of compulsive exercise
Like I’ve mentioned, there can be too much of a good thing. Although glorified by fitness culture, disordered exercise can cause serious harm to your physical and mental health.
Here are some signs that you may be struggling with compulsive and disordered exercise habits:
Feeling guilty if you miss a day.
Exercising as a punishment for eating "too much" or as a means of preparing for an upcoming meal.
Fear of weight gain if you take time off from your routine.
Inability to stop, even if you are injured or sick.
Significant, rapid weight loss.
Using exercise to suppress emotions.
Reducing activities in other areas of life to make time for exercise.
Signs of overtraining
Disordered exercise can lead to overtraining, which impacts both physical and mental health. Signs of overtraining to look out for include:
Poor sleep
Prolonged fatigue
Increase in tension, anxiety, anger
Inability to relax
Decreased motivation, moodiness
Poor recovery and feeling sore for days
Dehydration
Increased or decreased appetite
If you are struggling with disordered exercise and the symptoms of overtraining, reach out to your healthcare team.
Bottom line
Movement - feel the difference is the ninth principle of intuitive eating. Practicing this principle will help you to improve your relationship with exercise and learn how to move your body in ways that are not just rooted in making yourself smaller.
If you are looking for more support on your journey of ditching the diets, I’d love to support you inside my signature membership, The Nutrition Reboot.
Up next
Principle 10: Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition
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