Exercise As Weather Gets Nicer – Joyful Movement – Guest post by Kristin Harvey, Dietetic Intern
You have probably heard that exercising is good for your health. You have heard that exercise reduces your risk for developing conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, or even that it will help you lose a few inches around your waist. This is all true! Exercise does wonders for our physical and mental health. For some, exercise can be a dreadful experience that is associated with anxiety, stress, physical pain and ‘punishment’. I want to remind you that exercise does not have to be this way. “Exercise” can be taking your dog to the park, walking around the block with some friends, or even walking to get a coffee. These types of exercise aren’t your typical exercise fads like 75 Hard or the 12-3-30 workout. These forms of exercise fit more into the category of “joyful movement”.
Doing interval training can be as simple as adjusting the incline on the treadmill for an increment of time and repeated throughout your workout.
Joyful movement is the idea that we should enjoy the exercise that we do.We do not have to put our bodies under extreme stress every day to reach out for 30 minutes of recommended exercise. Instead, an inclusive practice like joyful movement can be ideal for all body types. The fun part about this concept of joyful movement is whatever you make it. Sure, some days you may want to participate in those sweaty high intensity interval exercises, but on days that you may get anxious about having to exercise, focus on some sort of movement that will make you happy. If you want to participate in more of a high intensity interval training, it’s important to remember you don’t have to make it as strenuous as possible. Doing interval training can be as simple as adjusting the incline on the treadmill for an increment of time and repeated throughout your workout. This can be practiced outside by speeding up the rate of running or walking for increments during the time of your exercise.
Ways to make joyful movement part of your day:
- Include Friends or Family:
For some people it is more fun to be with company. It may make exercising more appealing if you move with someone you enjoy being around. You could practice this by getting your steps in while shopping with a friend at the mall. Exercising with a friend is a great practice because it may make you more inclined to participate. - Combine it with Something You Enjoy: Joyful movement can mean playing pickleball or tennis in the park with friends. It could also look like practicing skiing or learning a new hobby like roller skating. One of my favorite ways to practice joyful movement is by walking with my friend to get a coffee and then heading toward our favorite trail in Wissahickon.
- Make Goals!: Sometimes when we make goals they can be too large and intimidating. Its a good thing that we want to challenge ourselves, but it is more achievable to start with small goals that we know we can work toward. An example could be making a goal for how far you want to walk that day or how many steps you want to reach. Making goals for joyful movement should not revolve around proving your progress, but instead about maintaining your healthy habits.
The underlying message is that finding a fitness routine does not need to be anxiety inducing or a part of your day that you dread. Find a form of movement that feels good to you. Find something that you look forward to everyday and make it your favorite healthy habit.