Hello and Happy Day 18…
Let’s talk about some of the benefits of movement and exercise that does NOT focus on weight loss.
Moving your body…
– Is a great way to clear you head and move along any stagnant or nervous energy within your body and mind.
– Encourages and stimulates blood flow, heart and lung function, keeping them well oiled and optimal for you.
– Helps to regulate your blood sugars/energy levels.
– Encourages strong and healthy muscles, tendons and ligaments.
– Increased bone strength and density.
Just to name a few…
One thing I love about this kind of mindset towards movement is the nourishing language, it’s all about ADDING to our health and well-being, taking care of it, not depriving or taking away from it.
Yes sometimes we might need to take a mechanical way of thinking towards something in our attempts to make a habit of it, whether that’s moving our body in a way that we enjoy so that we are more likely to do it regularly, or ADDING more high nutrients foods to our diet until it’s a little more second nature to us.
But I truly believe the key to that is the language we use and making it something we are going to WANT to do.
The kind of thinking that helped me to transition to moving my body for more wholesome reasons instead of purely for my physical appearance was all of the above.
Instead of looking at a workout as a chance to burn calories or try to lessen myself, I started looking at every workout as:
– A form of me time.
– Getting in touch with my body.
– A chance to get out of my head.
– Stress relief.
– Another effort in the bank towards supporting strong healthy bones, muscles and joints into my old age (so that when I’m older I hopefully won’t break a hip easily if I fall over).
A whole new way of looking at it wasn’t easy at first and I did feel like I was just pretending BUT…I was determined to reclaim my power over my body and fitness so it was just a case of practice practice practice until that muscle in my mind towards movement started to adjust.
Today I invite you to do the same, sit back and ask/be honest with yourself…why DO you exercise?
Is it with the intention and focus on physical change and appearance? And if so do you find that motivation sustainable?
Wanting to change is ok but decades of diet culture have proved that wanting to change from a place of self-loathing or hatred for our body will never result in genuine fulfilment.
However….
Bringing it back and working on self acceptance can help us to reach a place of wholeness, where we are far more likely to take positive action, striving for nourishment instead of punishment.
And when we’re rewarded with feelings of wholesome fulfilment, we’re also far more likely to stick to that habit long term.
Think about this during your next movement to see how it feels and don’t forget that my inbox is always open for discussion.
Until tomorrow x
Jordan ❤️✨#dietculturedropout
Self Love Club 