Joyful Movement

Looking Glass Falls in Western NC

For us, joyful movement often looks like getting outside and exploring together.

Has there ever been anything we love to avoid– that’s also so good for us– other than exercise? I know not everyone feels this way, but generally speaking, we love to groan about working out. And that can be for a variety of reasons, the most mundane and common of which is fitting one more thing we have to trudge through into already-packed schedules. It’s easy to accommodate fun activities in our schedules, those we look forward to or feel excited about. So why aren’t we excited about working out? 

Is it because it’s boring? Is it painful? (It shouldn’t EVER be painful, by the way. Hard, yes. Painful, no.) Does movement feel impossible to enjoy in the moment? Maybe we need to approach activity differently. Maybe we need to craft ways of moving our bodies that first prioritize being mentally stimulating and then the physical benefits will follow. For those of us who aren’t naturally predisposed to enjoy the typical ideas of working out, joyful movement can change everything. 

Joyful movement is just like it sounds: movement that brings you joy before, during, and after the exercise. We should be able to look forward to the time, enjoy the activity while we’re doing it, and then feel good and accomplished afterwards. 

My best tip for this is to give yourself permission to get movement somewhere besides the gym. Is the gym the obvious choice? Sure. But for some people, the gym is intimidating and comes with a lot of baggage. Let’s face it: people who don’t fit into the mainstream idea of fitness are frequently made to feel like they don’t belong in gyms, whether subtly or through outright mockery. It’s then completely understandable to think that, for many, going to the gym might be a dreaded event. 

Instead of trying to force ourselves to endure, here are a few fun ideas that absolutely count as exercise and can be done outside of a gym:

• Walking on trails in a local park (the Triangle is flush with great parks!)

• Roller skating or bicycling

• Playing the video game Just Dance or something similar

• Playing a sport like basketball or tennis with friends

• Taking your dog, a friend’s dog, or a shelter dog out for a walk or hike

• Swimming or water aerobics (great for all ages and so good for your joints!)

• Kayaking or paddle boarding

• Rock climbing 

• Group classes like Zumba, Pilates, yoga, etc.

• Working out with a trainer in the privacy of your own home
  
  

  There are definitely more activities that count as exercise than what I’ve listed here, but you get the idea. Most of these activities can also be done in modified ways, depending on ability levels, and have the important element of being interesting. 
  
  

  What sounds like the most fun to try or what have you already tried? Leave a comment and let us know!