How to Create a Movement Lifestyle for Yourself

 We all know that we are supposed to exercise. Right? Yeah, well for some of us it’s a bit more tiresome to  get into the habit of moving our bodies consistently. 

I never grew up in a family where movement was encouraged. We didn’t have much money for extracurricular activities, so I simply read books instead. Which isn’t a very active hobby. 

General exercise was definitely not a big part of my family. Exercise was meant for those with time and money to spare for a gym membership.

As a child, however, I always wanted to move. I always wanted to do amazing things with my body. I would look up YouTube videos (after YouTube became big after 2009, of course), and I’d find yoga videos and belly dance tutorials and practice in my tiny room. 

I wanted so badly to take classes, but it really wasn’t until I was an adult that I found the ability to get deeply into all the forms of fitness that I had been craving as a child. 

This desire to move may make it seem like it was easy for me to build a movement practice, but old habits really do die hard, especially ones built during childhood.

Building a consistent movement practice has always been a struggle, but I recently found methods and ways to implement a movement routine into my daily life that has helped me to be a bit more active than ever. 

1. I do what I enjoy!

I cannot stress enough the importance of doing a form of exercise that you actually enjoy. If that means finding online conga line classes then so be it! 

Life is too short to do movement that you don’t enjoy. Choose something that will bring you excitement!

2. I push myself, but I give myself grace.

I am always trying to push myself when it comes to my workouts. This isn’t always a good thing. 

It’s important to know how to allow yourself to fall off the wagon and then get back on. We all have a life that calls for different things at different times. Always make sure you are taking care of yourself, that includes fitness and also other life things as well! 

3. I have made movement apart of my life.

I have a dance class scheduled at 11 am on Saturdays. I have a gym session scheduled for Sunday mornings. And these are my favorite things to look forward to. 

My dance class definitely gives me the community feel; and the gym session gives me some deeply needed alone time where I can simply be alone with my thoughts. These things are scheduled into my life and they give me something to look forward to everyday. 

4. I remind myself that movement feels good.

Movement feels great! Maybe not when you first start, but with some music and a little sweat and all of a sudden you feel brand new! 

This is why I move. This is why I prioritize my movement practice. It makes me feel great.

5. I call it a “movement lifestyle” rather than “exercise.”

I choose the word movement vs exercise because exercise always sounded like a chore to me. But movement sounds like I’m creating a masterpiece, and I am if you really think about it! 

I am literally molding my body and my brain, not in an aesthetic way but more so in what I am capable of doing. These forms of movement will be etched in my muscle memory forever or etched in my memory forever.

 It’s art and I take pride in creating a work of art. It’s not just exercise, I am creating art through movement.

Creative Prompt

What style/forms of movement have I been drawn to?