What Is Intuitive Exercise?
Intuitive exercise, similar to intuitive eating, is an approach to movement that prioritizes your bodies sensory experience and enjoyment over outside propaganda. Regular exercise has the ability to improve your body image and your sense of self- efficacy, but not for the reasons you may think. Engaging with a regular movement practice reminds you that YOU are the expert of your own body- if you just take a second to listen, not some influencer who has never met you or heard your story.
5 Ways To Start Exercising Intuitively
1) Loosen up the rigidity in your exercise routine. Adhering to a preset schedule may sound like a great way to make sure you get regular movement- but really it’s a recipe for checking out of your body and churning out mindless reps of moves that are neither mentally stimulating or all that physically engaging. Trust me, I’m as type A as they come- this certified Virgo moon loves a schedule. Instead of feeling tied to a strict activity at a strict time- set time to listen to your body- that way it can look like jumping into a workout- but it can also look like taking the time to stretch, foam roll, or even lay in bed and cuddle with your dog if that’s what you need in that moment. We aren’t robots and pre-planned anything, particularly for people who menstruate, goes against our bodies natural rhythms.
2) Find a modality you love to do. What do you enjoy? What bores you- or worse, is like pulling teeth? Exercise is by definition meant to challenge your body, so it won’t be easy all the time, but it should be something that keeps you interested enough to keep at it, even when it’s tough. It’s much easier to find intrinsic motivation when it’s something you look forward to.
3) Tune in to how your body feels when you’re active. Key into the physical sensations you experience. This does a lot of things for you- a) it helps you activate the muscles more deeply (read more on this in The Joy Of Movement- it’s a must read!) b) keeps you present so you’re less likely to get injured 3) helps improve your body awareness- which helps you self correct and get more out of each movement, but also helps you build self trust with your body.
4) Listen to how you speak to yourself during exercise. Are you repeating limiting beliefs like “I’m not strong enough”, or “I’m too weak” like a mantra- or are you celebrating the fact that you took the time to take care of yourself and learn new skills?
5) Pay close attention to how your body feels post workout too- better sleep, more energy, improved mood, and higher resiliency are all better motivators than feeling like you have to stick to a workout schedule because some influencer told you you had to if you wanna achieve x unrealistic beauty goal in x days. You’re more likely to get yourself out of bed on a cold morning if your goal is to take care of your body because you know how great it makes you feel and how it changes the way you’re able to approach the rest of your life. When we use external motivation, that’s when we fall into the “Oh, I’ll start that plan on Monday” type thing.
Conclusion
I talk more about the concept of intuitive exercise on the Betches Media Diet Starts Tomorrow podcast and if you need more support in learning to stop feeling like exercise is a punishment and learning to love your movement practice, check out this free guide I made here!
For workouts designed with this in mind, check out Helen Phelan Studio (with a free 10 day trial!). The app is set up so that you can choose a class according to your intention, the free time you have, and the props you have- so you can make every class work for YOU.
Other articles you might be interested in:
10 Ways To Fit Exercise Into A Busy Schedule
How Your Fitness Tracker Can Sometimes Be Bad For Your Health
How Self Care Is (And Isn’t) Wellness
20 Reasons To Workout That Have Nothing To Do With Weight Loss
Exercising To Lose Weight Is The Quickest Way To Burn Out On Fitness