Joyful Movement

Here’s how I found the resolve to exercise.
I don’t like exercise. Or didn’t until this year. When I did exercise it was because it was baked into my day — bike commuting to work, playing with kids, organizing a home.
I struggled with fitting exercise into my day. I made it a big task. I fretted about fitting it in around work and family schedules, around blowouts and makeup application, timing things just right. I had expectations about how long and hard I should exercise for it to ‘count’.
I didn’t need more information on why exercise was important or how to do it. I needed to take action.
I hired my friend to be my accountability partner. I told her “I’m going to text you every day for 100 days. The only thing that matters is that I move my body for 10 minutes. It doesn’t matter what I do or how well I do it, just that I move. My only goal is to build the habit.”
That’s where I started. Without the pressure of performance, I defined my wins through my actions. I worked for her emoji approval.
I started with dance parties at home and walks around the block. The walks turned into runs and the distance and time increased as my body grew stronger and momentum carried me.
At first it felt like effort, even to do the minimum.
Then something switched, around Day 30. Movement felt fun. I craved it. I proved to myself that taking the time out of my day didn’t negatively impact my productivity, but enhanced it.
Joyful movement is now the goal and I want to make it happen every day. It’s fun. It feels like a reward. I don’t track miles, or hours, dress sizes, or the scale. I track activity and joy. I allow myself to run, skip, twirl, and stop and smell the roses whenever I feel like it. I try new things. I go solo and I bring along friends.
I do it for the joy of it. Endorphins make me happy (cc Outdoor Voices).
My body thanks me. I thank my body.
