I want to start this blog post with saying this – your worth is not dependent on your ability to move. That’s it. If you get nothing else out of this blog then let it be that.
We can have a difficult relationship with movement for a number of reasons. Whether your body doesn’t move in the ‘typical’ way able-bodies do or you’ve only moved from a place of guilt and shame, whiteknuckling our way through movement is only going to get us so far (or maybe nowhere at all).
Because we live in such a productive, go-after-it culture, it can be hard to not feel that there is something wrong with you if you don’t value movement in the same regard.
I, too, have been in this place. I struggled with compulsive movement for years. Then I swung the pendulum in the opposite direction and was afraid to move because I did not ever want to go back to that place of obsession.
While we do not want to be moving out of a place of guilt and shame, our bodies were made to feel alive and connected and movement is a great way to do that.
The key is that your movement does not have to look like anyone else’s movement.
If we’re trying to move from that place, we won’t see sustainable growth in our movement.
Taking small steps each day towards healthy movement over weeks, months and years is the way toward an authentic relationship with movement.
Don’t let diet culture rob you of joyful movement.
Looking for additional support with joyful movement? Here are some additional blog posts I’ve written over the years on the topic that you might find beneficial!
Peace with Movement | Finding Your Best Relationship with Movement
