“Burn those calories!”
“No pain, no gain!”
“Pump it up to get a bikini body!”
When messages about being physically active are induced with diet culture reductionist ideas around how much fat you can burn doing it, it’s not surprising that many people who have dieted in the past, may associate exercise with exhaustion and torture.
As apposed to harmful dieting messages telling us to move our bodies primarily to lose weight, this intuitive eating principle invites us to recognize countless benefits of being active to our health sand wellbeing, unrelated to weight loss.
These include, but not limited to benefits to our heart and blood vessels health, digestive health, strengthening our muscles and bones, building stamina, developing flexibility, balance and posture, improving mood and hormonal balance and many more.
Approaching body movement from a place of self-care and celebrating what you body can do, rather than a weight loss method or a punishment for having an “extra” piece of cake, may help finding ways to move your body that are enjoyable and make you feel good about yourself.
It’s also important to remember, that physical activity does not have to be instrumental and exhausting, to bring you fun and benefit your body and mind. Things, like:
- Dancing with your family in your living room
- Practicing yoga /pilates with a guiding video
- Opting our for stairs at a mall or on the subway
are some examples of incorporating movement in you daily life, that might be accessible and doable.
Some other ideas for moving your body during these times are:
- Playing ping-pong with your colleauge during a lunch break
- Practicing martial arts at a local park
- Playing badminton or tennis with a friend
- Having a skipping rope competition with your kids
- Palying ballon volleyball indoors on a rainy day
- Hiking or taking walks with your dog
- Playing Just Dance with your partner
What are your favourite ways to move your body? – share in the comments!
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Yulia Nutrition 