I know so many people that view fitness as only a way to burn calories and fat. They typically dread working out and eventually quit all together. This tends to result with a negative mindset on fitness in general.
Instead of viewing fitness as a means to weight loss, consider seeing it as a way to express self-love. That’s right, fitness is a form of self-love. Move your body because you love it. Below are 5 ways to practice self-love through fitness.
5 Ways to Practice Self-Love through Fitness
1 – Find the fun in fitness
Find an activity that you truly enjoy. If you’re starting out, try many different forms of exercise. You seriously never know what you might enjoy. Here are some suggestions:
Go to a gym. They have different machines, weights, and classes to experiment with. Worried others are judging you? Nope, no one is judging you. Everyone is focused on themselves, and typically are worried others are judging them.
Go to yoga.
Walk, run, or a combination of both.
Join a team sport.
Find workouts on youtube or Instagram. The Fitness Marshall is seriously one of my faves!
Take a dance or martial arts class.
Workout with friends or listen to music, a podcast, or a book.
2 – Just move
If you are not able to exercise for whatever reason, just move. Find ways you can move more during the day. Here are some suggestions:
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Park in the back of a parking lot.
Try pacing, squats, or wall sits while you brush your teeth.
Do pushups while you wait for your shower water to heat up.
Do lunges or a short yoga flow while you are cooking.
Stand while you fold laundry.
Instead of carrying all of the grocery bags into your house at once, carry one or two at a time.
3 – Lift weights
Lifting weights maintains and builds lean muscle tissue. If we do not use our muscles, we lose them. Americans on average lose over 6 pounds of muscle mass every decade from aging. Not only does lifting weights preserve our muscle mass, but it also increases bone strength. This is especially important for women. Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis due to a loss of estrogen during menopause.
4 – Mental wellbeing
Research has shown exercise is a good way to improve mental health and wellbeing. Here are a few ways in which exercise boosts mental health:
Improved mood
Improved self-esteem and confidence
Improved learning and memory retention
Prevents or delays cognitive decline due to aging
Decreases stress
Improves sleep
5 - Improved health
Exercise improves all aspects of your body and health. Some specific benefits are:
Reduced risk for chronic diseases
Improved cardiac health and cholesterol levels
Increased lung function and strength
Increased metabolism
Reduced risk of stroke
Decreases blood pressure
Improved appetite regulation and satiety cues
Where to start
If you’re a complete beginner, I recommend moving more than what you’re doing now. It doesn’t have to be much. It might be hard at first, but I promise it does get easier. Start small then increase your activity over time. Next, I recommend finding an activity you enjoy.
What are your favorite exercises?
- I love weight lifting and yoga.
What is an activity you’ve always wanted to try?
- I’ve always wanted to try Krav Maga, but I don’t want to get hit.
