Have you ever set an intention to build more exercise into your life, enjoyed the process of planning and preparing this new habit, and then when push came to shove….your energy and excitement waned, and your intention was left unfulfilled?
I’ve done this more than once until I learned and connected with an essential aspect of helping habits stick.
What was missing was remembering WHY I wanted to commit to moving more. And it had to be something that mattered to me. Not just a short-term goal but an aspiration that I could feel in my bones.
I sat down to write down some of these smaller goals and then traced them to a bigger aspiration, and what I found was related to my love of mountains and the peak (no pun intended) life experiences I’ve been fortunate enough to have when hiking in some very beautiful places.
I don’t come from a family of movers. My family culture is more “let’s sit and chat!” which hasn’t given me many examples of the older generation doing what I envision I’ll do later.
I’d love to be able to hike up mountains in my later years. And the work I put in now will help me realize that goal and keep me happy and healthy, so “present me” and “future me” both win!
That seed of aspiration helped me commit to a more serious (and joyful!) movement practice of walking, weight-lifting, yoga, dancing, hiking, etc. My “why” has grown exponentially and now encompasses things like “I want to feel strong and in good relationship with my body.” “My movement practice supports me in my grief process.” “When I move more during my day, my day is just BETTER!”
When I feel tempted to skip out on my practice, I remember one or two of those why’s, which provides enough push to show up for myself in my movement practice.
I’d love to know your “why” and “what matters” to you regarding creating the space and routine in your daily life to practice more movement.