What “Joyful Movement” Means to Me

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Most people refer to it as exercise or working out. I too use these words, but I’m trying to change my syntax when it comes to moving my body for health. Exercise has too much of a bad reputation. Working out is worse. It has the word “work” in it. Moving your body shouldn’t be work. It shouldn’t be something that you dread doing or feel forced or assigned to do. And since words are powerful and have a literal effect on our brains, I am going to do “joyful movement” instead.

Let me set one thing straight. I don’t claim to be a particularly joyful person. I get down many days about all kinds of things–my body, my mothering, my financial situation, my relationships, my spiritually. All of these are things that I wish could improve and I’m all sorts of negative about them. Calling exercise joyful movement doesn’t automatically make me a joyful person, nor does it take away the pain of pushing my body to new limits during the movement. Do you think that when I’m on the 8th mile of a 10 mile run and I’ve run out of water, taken off my shirt due to the heat, and have chaffed butt cheeks that I feel joyful? Ya… no. That’s not what I mean by joyful movement.

Here’ what I mean. Joyful movement is something that you feel intrinsically motivated to do. You do it because you feel better and you can see how it improves your life. Moving my body has given me so much. Here’s a short list of what joyful movement has given me. Notice how none of these benefits has anything to do with changing the shape or size of my body.

1. Stress management. Do you know why? The endorphins released during exercise make me feel good. I have to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, taking deep breaths, holding a yoga pose, or doing dance steps correctly. The distraction is such a relief to my otherwise racing and intrusive thoughts.
2. Self care. I need alone time. I have two kids who require almost all of my time. The early morning hour that I get at the gym is my special time.
3. Friendships. I have met new people, kept old friendships, and felt supported by the people who move joyfully with me. I used to only go running alone, work out at home, and never wanted to step into a group fitness class at the gym. Gosh, I didn’t even want to run at the gym. In front of other people? No way. But I’m so glad I made myself try a group fitness for the first time after I had my first baby. Now I’m a group fitness addict. (I do High Fitness most, but I also love pump classes and can’t wait to get back to them after my half marathon is out of the way)
4. Feeling strong. I feel so good when I can keep up with my increasingly fast toddler who runs away from me every chance he gets. I feel strong when I carry my kids, one in each arm, up to the third floor in our townhome. I can climb mountains. I can run long distances. I’m so proud of myself.

Ok, so what if you don’t like running? Or dancing? Or yoga? What can you do to find joy in movement? I say try something else. Or give one of the old ones a second chance. My tastes are always changing and my body is changing and aging. I don’t like running as much as I used to. I thought I would run forever. I thought I had found my thing, and I was so proud of myself for being a runner. But my knees are hurting, I’m getting older, I’m feeling burnt out as I prepare for the half marathon that I’m running this coming Saturday. I’ve decided that after the race I’m putting running in my pocket and leaving it there for a bit. There are so many other ways that I like to move my body. I am practicing yoga and it is something new and exciting for me. It challenges me in a very different way than running. It gets me breathing and develops flexibility in my mind and body.

If you read this, I invite you to try something new. Keep searching for the thing that will make you want to move your body. Don’t stop the search until you find the thing that you would even get up at 5 AM to do after going to bed late the night before. For me, that thing is High Fitness. I just can’t stop doing it! I’ll do it even if I’m dead tired because I love how it makes me FEEL. Jumping up and down in a crowded room with blasting music, surrounded by sweaty happy people. That is my joyful movement.

Products that help me move my body

For running:

• Good shoes. I like Brooks and Hoka One One.
• Water belt. I have this one and love it.

• This Body Glide anti chafe balm is a life saver. Enough said about chaffing though.

For yoga:

• Get yourself a yoga mat that you love. I found mine at Ross one time, but this one comes in lots of cute colors.
• Yoga blocks are very important if you are just starting out. I need them because I don’t have the flexibility to touch the floor sometimes.

For High Fitness/HIIT:

• I like to switch up my High fitness shoes. I am currently using the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus.
• You need cute clothes. They will be your one motivation to move your body when there is nothing else on your side! The CRZ Store on Amazon has tons of cute stuff and I love how affordable it is. No way am I spending a hundred dollars on a pair of Lululemon leggings.

For hiking:

• Get a hiking carrier so you can take your kids with you. The one I have is… vintage? Haha but the one I’ve wanted for a while is this Osprey one.
• Take snacks. I love G2G bars most. I take applesauce for my Kiddos.

• You can use the same running water belt that I put in the running section or get a hydrating backpack. It’s so nice to have one of these.

Thanks for reading. I hope you find a way to move your body that will bring you JOY.