Well-being on Purpose (WOP): Movement

We WoP, we bop, we move!

Aug 30, 2024

I am taking on virtual nutrition counseling clients! If you or someone you know is struggling with their relationship with food, consider booking a free Discovery call to see what it is like working with an IFS-informed dietitian.

Welcome to part one of an eight part series where I am exploring the research behind, and my personal experiences with: movement, sleep, emotional health, work/life balance, presence, social, spirituality, finances.

Catch the introduction post right here to learn a little more about the experiment!

The past two weeks, I have been focusing on observing my movement routines, preferences, and experiences.

A client once asked me “Can I be healthy if I don’t exercise?” We spoke at length about what it means to her to “be healthy”. I asked about multiple domains of well-being and discussed her perspectives for about a half hour (mentioning this to say: there is a lot of nuance here!).

"Health" arises from a combination of our genetics, behaviors (sleep, nutrition, alcohol/tobacco use, movement, doctor/dentist visits, etc.), environmental factors (socioeconomic status, exposure to pollution, stress), and lifestyle habits over time. This is why you will often hear me saying: You can’t control your health; you can control the behaviors around health (and sometimes environmental factors).

Movement, nestled in the “behaviors” category above, does support health indicators over time: movement helps to prevent/slow muscle and bone loss, helps to regulate our blood sugar and blood pressure, increases the oxygen to our brain, keeps our cardiovascular system functioning optimally, helps reduce pain, soothes our mental health, aids our sleep, and keeps our muscles and joints flexible and active (& more!).

We all have a right to our bodily autonomy and if a person doesn’t value health, they do not need to engage in health behaviors. Period. It’s simple. There are also physical disabilities that impact someone’s ability or access to a movement pattern they enjoy. If someone does value health and desires to pursue health, the “health benefits” of movement aren’t replicable by other health behaviors and play a unique roll in supporting well-being.

Movement recommendations

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity spread throughout the week. Add in moderate to high intensity muscle strengthening activity two days per week.

Moderate activities include: brisk walking (>2.5 mph), water aerobics, dancing, doubles tennis, biking slower than ten miles per hour.
Vigorous activities include: hiking uphill, running, swimming laps, cycling (>10 mph), jumping rope.

Disordered movement patterns

More movement is not always better. For some, movement can feel compulsive, responsive to how much food they ate, or one of the only tools they have to regulate their emotions. When someone has a disordered relationship with movement, we observe:

“Excessive” exercise - in duration, frequency, or intensity
“Compulsive” - guilt, anxiety motivates movement or is a result of a lack of movement1
“Degree of guilt experienced” - feeling like a bad person for not exercising2

From those experiencing disordered eating or eating disorders, it can be important to take a break from movement when pursuing recovery. Movement may not be healthy when…

Regularly engaging in physical activity more than once per day
Movement pattern interferes with other important areas of your life
Experiencing frequent injuries
Self-punishment or purging
Causes more stress than relief

How I defined movement in my own life:

Long ago, I edited my movement routine to perfectly align with my preferences. I started by asking the below questions; I have included some examples below for your own reflection.

How do I like to move?
- Intensely / moderate / gentle
- Guided / unguided
- Lots of sweat / less sweat
- Also consider type of movement: sports, lifting weights, swimming, walking, pilates, yoga, jogging, hiking, etc.
How do I not like to move?
- Consider all of the above
Where do I like to move?
- Indoors
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Gym
- Fitness studio
- Space with no mirrors
- Cold space / hot space
With whom do I like to move?
- With close friends
- By myself
- With strangers
- With a small group of acquaintances
What amount of money am I willing to spend on equipment or classes?

I prefer: moderate intensity, alone, guided or unguided, ideally outside but also in my home. Not a gym, sometimes a studio space with a small group. This is specific and the specificity is useful! Take the time to consider all the details that would help you to be excited about movement. This will help you prioritize movement with the fewest barriers.

Using the recommendations above and my preferences, if I mostly prioritize moderate-intensity movement, I can expect to need to move for 30-45 minutes about 3-5 days per week to meet recommendations for general health. I also should choose a few options that use body weight or weights for strength training.

Though this sounds “prescriptive” - I don’t sweat it if I don’t hit the recommendation; I gather data about my experience and try to let that inform my future plans. I trust that because I move in way that feels good, I will want to move with regularity. Some folks like more structure or routine! That’s great, find what works for you!

A general reminder:

Your body needs rest days
Movement >10 minutes “counts” (according to “experts”) towards your movement goals (walking to work, gardening, housework, activities of daily living!)
Your movement pattern has nothing to do with your worth as a human
Movement may look different week to week: it. is. okay!

I pursued thinking about my movement pattern for two weeks and gathered data about the experiment.

Ideas I had for practicing movement:

Walks around my neighborhood or in the apartment gym
Yoga Dance classes online
Pilates classes via Range (Kara offers a few free classes here)
Yoga classes at a studio
Swimming

Musings on the experiment:

What was most noticeable these two weeks was my avoidance of a neighborhood walk. At my old apartment, I had a well grooved walking path. I had favorite houses, beloved flower beds, and predictably shady stretches. Now that I moved, I have some apprehension about walking in my new neighborhood. What if I got lost? What if I didn’t like the route? What if it was too sunny? Ultimately, during this experiment, I did a couple walks outside and my route was on a slight incline and very sunny. Very mid-ranking for me thus far but hopefully I discover more in the upcoming weeks!

A couple days into the experiment, I noticed my own expectations arise: I had so much focus and creativity after pilates on Monday, maybe I’ll have that again, today. I also had a clear preference for that to happen again (lol). Expectations prime our preference for any given activity and color the richness of the experience. I don’t want to create conditional habits (“I move so I am creative”), rather, I want to build out a routine of habits that support my creativity, energizes me, and supports my body. But, I did love the reminder that my creative energy can be fostered by mind-body connection but I don’t want to begin to expect this from movement.

I also monitored the details that made me avoid movement. Fatigue, not wanting to get hot, and not finding time in my schedule were the most likely culprits for movement avoidance. This isn’t a problem, just helpful information to consider when setting future goals.

Things I hope to take forward:

I have always loved moving my body later in the day. I am better fueled, have more energy, and find the transition from day to evening complements a pilates class or walk. However, with my new schedule, moving in the morning has been really helping my energy levels throughout the day. I also found myself to be inconsistent with late afternoon movement since we moved so morning movement has helped me hit my personal movement goals. I hope to take forward the open mindedness that even though my preferences don’t line up, mornings might be an ideal time for me to move in this season.

Things I learned:

Having easy access to a gym (<1 minute walk) positively supports movement patterns, even though it’s not my preferred movement space
Walking in new neighborhoods can feel disorienting; I’m surprised at how much mental encouragement I have needed to explore my neighborhood on foot
Movement should be things you enjoy. If you are having to source an insane amount of “motivation” or “willpower” to do an activity - find a different one!

The next two weeks, I will be exploring SLEEP!

What is your favorite way to move your body? Tell me below!