“I want to move more.”

I have had many clients that struggle with exercise and working out. They think that it is an “all or nothing” thing. They think that they are not “athletic” or have never identified as an “athlete” so they should not be at the gym or on the track with others that they see as athletic. They think they don’t belong.

My work with a client with that mindset is to reframe the limiting stories around exercise, first. We discuss what exercise and workouts mean to them and what they want to accomplish physically. We talk about the benefits of moving your body regularly. And we change the mindset around working out. I like to refer to exercise as movement or momentum if they have a block about what exercise is.

The discussion then shifts to how they can move their body and enjoy it. It is not just about going to the gym and lifting weights. That can be an important part of your plan and it is important to have a lot of different activities to keep a varied and interesting movement plan. This plan can include walking, biking, hiking, swimming, yoga, online cardio classes, playing tennis, basketball or other sports. It can include body weight movements like squats, sit ups or pushups. It can include walking or running stairs at a local stadium, jump-roping, jumping jacks or buttkickers.

We then define what they are able to commit to in regards to movement. Do they want to start at 20 minutes of movement 3 days a week? And then move to 4 days a week? Then up the minutes to 30 or 45? We create a plan that works for them and that feels manageable and doable. We also discuss the fact that they may not reach their goal one week and that is okay. That doesn’t mean that they just stop, they get to still move forward.

Movement creates endorphins and can give you more energy. This can spill over to other areas of your life making you more productive and happier.

Consider the fact that you have control of how you move, how often and for how long you move your body. Take care of your body, it is the only place that you have to live.