Overcoming Exercise Resistance & Finding Joyful Movement
Written by CCTC Staff Writer
Living in a society where disordered eating and the thin ideal are so normalized, it is no surprise a majority of us have a complicated relationship to movement and exercise. Since we are young, we have been sent messages that perpetuate the idea that movement is not about feeling good in your body, but focused on changing our bodies. But, a healthy and joyful relationship with exercise is possible! If you are curious how to build a relationship with exercise that exists beyond weight loss and body size manipulation goals, keep reading.
In this blog we will discuss:
What a healthy relationship to exercise looks like
What an unhealthy relationship to exercise looks like
What role diet culture plays in these beliefs
How to assess movement before & after exercising
Re-integrating movement in eating disorder recovery
What Does a Healthy Relationship to Exercise Look Like?
If you struggle to know what a ‘healthy’ relationship with exercise and movement looks like, you are not alone. While everyone’s relationship with exercise is different, a healthy relationship to movement will have a few characteristics that may include the following:
You are active in a way that feels good for you
Being able to move without pushing yourself beyond your limits
Not forcing yourself to move in ways you hate
You are able to listen to your body and give yourself rest days when needed
You are able to explore different types of movement free of rigidity
You allow yourself to have fun
What Does an Unhealthy Relationship to Exercise Look Like?
While there is no “right” way to exercise, an unhealthy relationship to exercise is something that is worth exploring. Here are some common signs that your relationship with exercise could improve:
There is obsession and rigidity with your exercise routine
You feel guilty when you miss a workout
You use exercise as a way to punish yourself
You dread your workout
You workout even when injured or sick
You workout to make up for eating certain food
It is motivated by maintaining your weight or changing your body
You focus on comparing yourself to others
You never feel like you have exercised enough
You don’t feel you deserve rest or grant permission to rest
Exercise impacts how you see yourself and your feelings of self-worth
What Role Does Diet Culture Play in an Unhealthy Relationship With Exercise?
Diet culture is the set of beliefs that surround food and body weight. It's based on the idea that thinness is desirable and worth achieving, and that being in a larger body is unattractive and something to be avoided. Diet culture often goes hand-in-hand with the pursuit of health, which can make it difficult to tell where one begins and the other ends.
There are a number of ways in which diet culture can impact our relationship to exercise and movement. For example, people who buy into diet culture may see exercise as a way to lose weight or burn calories, rather than as a way to feel good in their bodies or to improve their health. This can lead to an unhealthy focus on numbers and results, and can make exercise feel like a chore rather than something to enjoy.
Additionally, diet culture often perpetuates the idea that thinness equals healthiness. This can lead people to believe that they need to lose weight in order to be healthy. This can put unnecessary pressure on people to lose weight, and can make them more likely to turn to unhealthy or dangerous methods of weight loss such as crash dieting or excessive exercise.
It's important to be aware of diet culture and its impact on our relationship to exercise and movement. Learning to untangle your relationship with exercise and integrate movement that feels good takes time.
Disordered Eating/Eating Disorders and Unhealthy Relationships to Exercise
Disordered eating and an unhealthy relationship to exercise often go hand-in-hand. People with disordered eating may use exercise as a way to lose weight or burn calories, and they may become overly fixated on the numbers on the scale or the number of calories they are burning. This can lead to dangerous behaviors, such as excessive calorie restriction, over-exercising, or using unhealthy methods to lose weight, such as purging.
What is Exercise Resistance?
Exercise resistance is when you have a negative reaction to the idea of exercising, or when you find it difficult to stick to an exercise routine. This can be due to a variety of reasons, such as a lack of motivation, feeling overwhelmed by the process, or simply not enjoying the activities you're doing.
Another reason people struggle with exercise resistance is the avoidance of movement is coupled with thoughts about starting a fitness program or training, and the feelings of guilt and shame become overwhelming. Or, you may start a program or routine and lose interest causing you to feel frustrated and defeated because you couldn’t “keep up with it” and give up completely getting trapped in all-or-nothing thinking.
When we feel like we aren’t doing enough or exercising “right,” it may prevent us from moving at all, not to mention in a mindful and enjoyable way.
What is Joyful Movement?
Joyful movement is any type of physical activity that feels good in your body. This type of movement doesn’t feel like a chore but rather fits into your life and serves you mentally and physically.
Joyful movement allows you to enjoy the benefits of a healthy relationship with exercise such as boosting your mood, reducing negative feelings and emotions, improving your health, managing stress better, sleeping better and connecting with others.
A good place to start when trying to identify what joyful movement may look like to you is to ask yourself, what would your ideal relationship with exercise look like? What would moving feel like? What would you need to change to make this happen?
When you move in a way that feels joyful, you can begin to trust and listen to your body and find a sustainable structure that is also flexible.
How to Assess Movement Before & After Exercise
Checking in with yourself before and after exercising can be a good way to assess what thoughts, feelings and beliefs may be coming up that may be important to address.
Before moving:
Is this movement aligned with my values? Am I going into this with the goal of shrinking, avoiding, or numbing?
Am I able to go into this opportunity to move my body without creating a rigid or all-or-nothing plan?
What is my current mood or feeling?
Am I looking forward to moving my body, or am I forcing myself to move?
After moving:
How do I feel right now? Calm, energized, strong, relaxed?
Was I able to stop if I felt tired?
Did thoughts about my body, weight or food come up?
Do I feel like I am having thoughts that it “wasn’t enough?”
If you find yourself experiencing thoughts and feelings related to wanting to lose weight or meeting unrealistic body goals, take a step back and evaluate your motivations. Remember that you can be healthy at any size, and that exercise should be something that you do for yourself, not for anyone else.
Re-integrating Movement in Eating Disorder Eecovery
In eating disorder recovery, learning to move your body in a way that is joyful and affirming is an important step. For many people with eating disorders, exercise has been used as a tool for weight loss or calorie burning, and it can be difficult to let go of these negative associations.
One way to start re-integrating movement in a more positive way is to find activities that you enjoy and that make you feel good. This could be anything from walking in nature to dancing around your house to playing with your dog. The important thing is that you find something that brings you joy and makes you feel good in your body, not something that feels like a punishment or that you dread doing.
Another way to approach movement in eating disorder recovery is to focus on the health benefits, rather than on weight loss or calorie burning. Remember that exercise can improve your mood, reduce stress, and boost your energy levels. It can also help you to sleep better and to think more clearly. These are all important things to focus on in recovery, and they can be helpful motivators to get you moving.
Finally, it's important to be gentle with yourself when re-integrating movement into your life. Start slowly and build up gradually, and work with your treatment team to check in on how it feels and any eating disorder thoughts that arise.
Remember, there's no need to push yourself to do more than you're comfortable with, or to compare your progress to anyone else's. Everyone is on their own journey, and you'll get there in your own time.
By approaching movement in a more positive and mindful way, you can start to enjoy it again and to reap the many benefits that it has to offer. If you think you or a loved one may have an unhealthy relationship with exercise, it is important to seek professional help. With treatment, learning to enjoy moving your body in a way that feels authentically joyful for you is possible.
Learn more about our programs at Central Coast Treatment Center or reach out to talk about eating disorder recovery.