When we talk about movement, it's very easy for the conversation to turn into exercise.
How many steps did you get? Did you work out today? How many times a week are you going to the gym?
Exercise is valuable, of course. But movement is bigger than exercise.
And I think remembering that can make taking care of our bodies feel much more manageable.
Your body doesn't know whether it counts
A walk around the block counts.
Gardening counts.
Stretching while the kettle boils counts.
Taking the stairs counts.
Playing with your grandchildren counts.
Walking across the parking lot instead of circling three times for the closest space counts too.
Your body isn't keeping score. It's simply responding to the fact that you're using it.
That matters, particularly when you've been sitting for long periods or your days don't naturally include very much physical activity.
“Your body isn't keeping score.”
Start with the body you have today
One of the quickest ways to make movement feel discouraging is to compare what you can do now with what you used to be able to do.
Maybe you ran years ago. Maybe you were more flexible. Maybe you could spend an entire Saturday working in the garden and wake up Sunday morning feeling perfectly fine.
Bodies change.
So rather than beginning with what you think you should be able to do, start by noticing what feels comfortable now.
Can you walk for ten minutes? Would five minutes of gentle stretching feel good? Could you stand up and move around a little more often during your workday?
That's useful information.
Consistency doesn't have to be impressive
We tend to celebrate the big things: the new fitness program, the hour-long workout, the ten-thousand-step day.
But your body also experiences all of those ordinary little moments of movement that never make it onto a fitness tracker.
Five minutes here. A short walk there. Getting up from your desk. Carrying the groceries. Moving around the house while you talk on the phone.
Over the course of a week, those moments add up.
And perhaps more importantly, they can help movement become part of your life rather than another appointment you have to squeeze into it.
Pay attention to how movement feels
Movement shouldn't simply be something you endure because you were told it's good for you.
Notice what happens afterward.
Do you feel a little less stiff? Does your mood change? Do you sleep differently on days when you've been outside? Is there a type of movement you actually enjoy?
And if something hurts, feels unstable or consistently limits what you're able to do, that's useful information too. It may be worth discussing with an appropriate healthcare professional rather than simply pushing through it.
You don't have to become an athlete
You have a body that carries you through every day. Giving it opportunities to move is one of the simplest ways to care for it.
It doesn't need to look impressive.
It just needs to happen.
