How To Start Moving Your Body Again

I know it’s not always easy to move your body- life has a way in keeping us busy! You might have a million reasons why you can’t dance around the house, or do yoga with your kids. You might be injured, you may not have moved in a long time, or you're just plain exhausted.

We know it can be hard to get back into movement again, so we've put together some pointers to help get you inspired to move your body again:

Find your why

To start, you need to know why you want to start moving again.

Why do you want to move at all? How do you want your body to look, feel and perform for the rest of your life?

What's important here is that these things aren't just about aesthetics--they're related to health, well-being and the quality of your life.

When we align our movement goals with these kind of things, we are much more likely to find it easier to get moving again.

Honour your body

Honour your body by listening to it. The most basic way to honor your body is by listening to its needs, which may be different from day to day and even hour by hour. If you are sick or injured, listen carefully for signs that it's time for rest; if you're feeling energetic and ready for exercise, honour those signals as well! Honour the limitations of your current state of health; don't push yourself beyond what is comfortable or safe just because "it would be good for me."

Honour your body through balance between rest and activity--this means striking a balance between periods of intense physical labor (e.g., yard work) with periods of rest (e.g., curling up with a book). It also means finding ways not just physically but mentally as well: take time off from work when needed so that when you return refreshed later on there won't still be stress weighing down on top of everything else going on in life right now! Finally this includes treating oneself kindly through kindness--give yourself permission every once in awhile just because no matter how much work gets done sometimes we need some downtime too :)

Listen to your body

When you listen to your body, you'll be able to tell if the movement is right for it. If something feels off or uncomfortable, try doing something else instead. The key is to listen! We want to enjoy moving our bodies the best we can. Its time to step away from movement as a means to punish ourselves or to force ourselves to fit a cookie cutter mould of what a body is "ought to look like". So, lets learn to listen:

• Listen to how the movement makes your body feel. Is there any discomfort? Pain? Lightness or ease? Does it give you energy or make you feel tired?

• Listen to what movements are most comfortable and natural for your body at this time in its life cycle (age/stage). For example: young children tend not do push-ups because they haven't developed enough strength yet, unless, its a fun game of course; older adults may find that some types of stretching aren't possible due their limited range-of-motion due age-related stiffness/soreness. Listen to what your body is capable of and enjoys at this stage of your life.

Conclusion

I hope this blog has inspired you to get moving! If you're feeling stuck, try some of these tips and see what happens. I know from experience that it can be hard to get off the couch or away from our phones, but it's worth it--when you reclaim movement as something that you can do joyfully, you open up a new relationship with your body!