Mindful Movement: How to create a consistent exercise routine

So many of the women I know have a hard time staying consistent with their exercise routine. They’re “good” for awhile, but then they fall off… then they’re on the wagon again, and once again they fall off. Trust me, I’ve been here before…

Ironically, we all know that exercise is one of the best things we can do for our mental and physical health… and I think most of us can agree it makes us feel good. So why is it so hard to make movement a consistent part of our wellness routine?

The “all or nothing” movement mindset

I believe that the biggest reason women have a hard time staying consistent with exercise is because of the mindset we’ve been taught to have about movement. Most of us begin our wellness journey, judging the quality of our exercise routine on the number of calories we burned, how hard we worked, or how much we sweat. To the modern woman, high intensity exercise seems to be the workout of choice, not because we enjoy it, but because it burns the most calories per hour or we sweat harder… but is that really what’s most beneficial for our bodies? Or are we just making ourselves do something that we don’t want to do because we believe it has to be difficult in order for it to “count” ?

As I’ve grown on my wellness journey, I’ve realized that this mindset I may have had once was keeping me stuck in a cycle of being “on the wagon” and “off the wagon” with exercise, never able to stick to a consistent routine. I see the same with my clients when they first seek out support.

If you too struggle to stay consistent, I invite you to shift your perspective away from the all or nothing mindset. The truth is, this mindset doesn’t work well for most people, and ends up being the root cause of the “on the wagon, off the wagon” problem that so many women face.

3 reasons why this mindset doesn’t work for most people

First and foremost, the “calorie burn” or “all or nothing” mindset can create a toxic relationship with food and exercise. If you’re only working out to burn calories so that you can enjoy indulgent food, or only working out to punish yourself for eating too much, you will be in a constant battle with food and exercise. Movement should be a safe haven, not a battlefield.

Secondly, this mindset might pressure you into doing workouts you don’t enjoy. Our psychology is hardwired to repeat things that we like and avoid things we don’t, so if you’re pushing yourself to go to HIIT class or do lots of intense cardio when you don’t like it, you’re going to have a hard time staying consistent.

Finally, the most “effective” workouts are not always the most beneficial thing for your body, especially if you’re experiencing chronic stress, hormonal imbalance, or poor gut health. With these, the body is already under a lot of stress and working overtime to try to bring things back into balance. Adding high intensity workouts might leave you more fatigued (making it harder to stay consistent) and could actually make your stress, hormones and gut health symptoms worse.

Let’s release the belief that movement is something you do to burn calories and get sweaty. Instead, I invite you to start looking at movement as something you do simply to feel good. Release any judgment about what type of movement is “right” or “wrong.” Find a balance between pushing yourself and accepting when all you need is a long walk or short stretch. A little bit of gentle movement is better than no movement at all. I bet you’ll find that when you let go of the negative mindset towards movement and start listening to your body, you’ll notice that your body really does want to move, probably more than you’d expect! You will be able to find joy in movement again. If you’re like me, you may find that some days you crave more intensity, while other days you want something more gentle. This is what Mindful Movement is all about.

What is Mindful Movement?

Mindful Movement is, instead of exercising to burn calories, you move your body in whatever way feels good to you that day. The truth is, our bodies don’t need the same thing everyday, and how you move might change depending on where you’re at in your cycle, how much stress you’re under, how your energy levels are, or how well you slept. The mantra of Mindful Movement is that a little bit is better than nothing, and any kind of movement counts - from stretching, yoga, and walking to HIIT, weightlifting and long distance running. If Mindful Movement feels too soft and loose for you, I get it. When some of my clients first hear of mindful movement, they think that if they let go of exercising to burn calories and perform, they will just be a couch potato and won’t want to move at all. They don’t trust that they have discipline, but once they try it, they are pleasantly surprised to learn that their body does want to move most days because it feels good and supports their goals.

Right now, my personal Mindful Movement routine looks like:

• 2-3 days of reformer pilates

• 2-3 days at-home pilates or strength

• 1-2 days of incline walking

• throw in a Barry’s here and there

• always a day or two of rest

But each week is different, depending on what my body needs, and yours will look different, too. I find it helpful to schedule my workouts in the beginning of the week and adjust as I go.

Ultimately, the best kind of movement is the kind you enjoy. If you love your high intensity workouts, keep going! But if you’re just there for the burn, know that there is another way - a way that will likely be much more fun and sustainable. Remember that movement should be a stress reliever, not a stress inducer, so if it’s stressing you out, it’s causing more harm than good.

I hope this post inspired you to find a movement routine that you’re excited about. Once you find it, sustaining a mindful movement routine will be fun and easy.