What to do when you don’t feel like exercising… ever.

I’m a movement and fitness coach who enjoys exercise but there are plenty of times when I don’t feel like moving my body.

I know how much better I feel when I’m moving my body a few times a week and yet… it’s still so difficult to do sometimes!

Other areas of my life take priority. 

Can you relate?!

Maybe you truly hate exercise.

Maybe exercise has been used as a weapon against your body by doctors or family.

Maybe it feels like if you’re not working out to lose weight… then what’s the point?!

Here’s what I remind myself when I just don’t feel like moving my body.

• Movement, especially strength training, keeps my bones strong. I want to be independent and strong for as long as possible. 

• Movement keeps my heart and blood vessels happy. As someone with hypertension, this is critically important.

• Movement helps me keep up with my kids. 

• Movement is a welcome break from all the mental chatter.

• Movement makes me feel alive and appreciate what my body can do. How lucky am I to be in an able body.

Sometimes those reminders help, sometimes I still don’t feel like moving. In those instances, I’ll usually set the timer for 5 or 10 minutes and do SOMETHING. Some stretches on the floor, a few glute or core exercises. Easy stuff that doesn’t expend a ton of mental or physical energy. If that’s all I do, great, but sometimes I’ll feel better after those 5 or 10 minutes and actually want to keep going.

We don’t have to workout 5 days a week to reap the benefits of movement. There are so many “rules” about health and fitness but we can choose to ignore them and forge a new way forward in our relationship with exercise.