5 ways You can Reframe Your Relationship With Exercise Without Allowing Weight-loss or Body Composition Be Your Primary Focus
I love working out and it is one of my go-to outlets in all seasons of my life, especially motherhood.
But in my years of teaching my fitness class I’ve noticed people feel like they’re doing all the right things, but cannot seem to lose weight.
So I’ve created this post that has a few tips on ways you can shift your mindset on why you workout.
We’ve got to stop working out for the sole purpose of weight loss.
People know they need to lose weight.
More than 100 million adults in the US are obese and 22 million adults are severely obese.
The prevalence of obesity went from 30% between 1999-2000 to almost 42% in 2017.
And…
14.7 million children between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese.
Let that sink in for a minute.
We are told exercise is good for us from a health perspective, which it is.
But to me, exercise is a tool.
A tool for us to use without the expectations of weight-loss/changing how we look.
And just shifting your mindset alone, can really help you actually start to enjoy and crave exercise.
You can sprinkle in bits of exercise into your days without it being so formal, routine-focused or all-or-nothing.
Here are a few ways you can start reframing your relationship with exercise:
1. Relaxation: For me, exercise totally relaxes me (afterwards). A lot of people workout in the morning, but that usually wipes me out and I notice I’m not nearly as productive during the day. If I do workout in the morning, it’s usually 15-20 minute workout to get my body moving but that usually isn’t until 9 or 10 am. Which is when I feel my best! As a mom, I’ve got a million things to do and at the end of the day, one of the best ways for me to relax my body and mind is to workout. Which brings me to my next bullet point.
2. Self-connection: Ah. This is so important to me. Especially as a mom. Our needs often go amiss. We are always taking care of something or someone. Which is fine, so as long as we get to reconnect with ourselves at some point during the day. And for me, my go to tool is exercise. At the end of a long day, I (get to) walk down to my basement and I instantly feel a sense of calm. Some days I like thick power yoga class or a gentle yoga flow. Some days I want to run or hop on my peloton bike. And other days I want to do a fun dumbbell strength endurance workout (like this one).
3. Mood booster: Feeling moody? Irritable? Angry? Disconnected? or just blah? Working out will shake things up and get your body moving through that negative energy. Having emotions is normal, but how we channel them is what matters. Acknowledge your emotions, breathe, think of something you’re grateful for and then go do a quick 15 minute workout. See how it makes you feel. And then, keep doing it. If you had a bad day at work and you can’t workout (yet), find a way to cope and then be sure to hit your workout mat as soon as you get home. Make it a priority. Cause if you sit in that feeling and let it fester and bring in more negative low vibe energy, you’ll start feeling more and more miserable each day. We get to choose our hard. Sometimes we have to do the things we don’t “feel like” doing in order for us to feel better in the long run.
4. Up for a challenge: I love seeing what my body can do. I love lung-burning workouts. I think it’s important to try new things and there are so many facets to fitness that you can get into these days. Challenge yourself. Do the workouts your body craves. Allow it to challenge you not only physically, but mentally. It can be very rewarding and it can create a domino affect of joy + confidence into your life, your family, your work etc.
5. Wakes you up: I hear quite often these words, “but I’m too tired”. Which, I understand this and can relate. I’m still guilty of this myself and so is my husband lol. I think this is where discipline comes into play. You have options when you’re tired and I think you have to determine what would suit you best in moments of sleepiness, but I strongly encourage you to choose movement when you’re tired. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Now if you are sleep deprived…please, go take a nap or go to bed early. You need your rest. But if you feel like you got good quality sleep and you’re feeling a bit lazy, go workout! I’ve got my own virtual fitness club, if you want join that too, you can! It’s a lot of fun. We do group workouts every Saturday!
To me, weight-loss and feeling good in my body as a result from daily exercise, is a bonus.
It is not my primary focus and I hope one day for you, it won’t be your primary focus either.
XOXO, Kelsey