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As I was enjoying a walk in the park yesterday I began to think about all of the years of my life I spent using exercise solely as a way to shrink my body and as a punishment for something that I ate. It's actually quite mind boggling. I would spend hours in the gym, even though I despised it on this deep quest to mold my body into a version of itself that would never last long and make me feel miserable, all to fit into the unrealistic ideal of what society told me my body should look like. It wasn't until I found the practice of yoga that I began to let go of fitness classes that I never really enjoyed and the thousands of dollars spent on personal trainers. It wasn't until I found yoga that I really began to put the mind body connection together and began to realize that if I found movement that felt joyful I would be more likely to incorporate it into my daily life and allow it to become part of my lifestyle...not a chore. Now, 5 years later the idea of getting up for a walk, bike ride, yoga or pilates class is not dreadful. I have learned to see it as self-care... much needed alone time to focus on myself. Because, I am more aware of and can feel the direct impact it has on my mood and how I move through the day. Instead of berating my body for all that it isn't I am continuously learning to be grateful to it for all that it is, and all the ways it shows up for me every day. I know it's not easy to come to a place of loving our bodies all the time, it is a daily practice but such an important one. Where are you in your wellness journey? Are you working out just to burn off what you ate or see the number on the scale decrease? Have you found ways to make movement more joyful? If so, can you share with us how you came to this place of finding joyful movement? How have you found ways to make movement a part of your lifestyle? Wherever you are...would love for you to share! Let's help each other get to a place of acceptance and love!
