✨ Rediscovering Movement After a Break
Long or short - doesn't matter!
Community Focus
On June 24, check out Play It Uptown at the new TimeLine Theater for happy hour and a performance of An Enemy of the People. Meet your neighbors and discover this new performing arts venue!
Happy Friday, Friends!
If you've taken time away from movement and coming back feels humiliating, painful, or counterproductive, you're in a tough spot. The mainstream fitness world will tell you to push through and match whatever you were doing before, and maybe even more to "make up for lost time."
The actual solution is a lot more achievable. Today, let's talk about why the best way to get back into movement is...
➡️ Start easier than you think you need to
➡️ Go slower than what feels necessary
➡️ Write down how you feel after to reflect (not just physically, but emotionally, too.)
Here's why:
1️⃣ The first reason is avoiding injury. You need to rediscover your baseline before you dive into your previous normal. It might be the same, but it might not, and that's okay!2️
2️⃣ We also need to rebuild and preserve your relationship with movement. When I meet with a client after a long time, we need to talk about movement so I can understand how the relationship has changed. We need to move intentionally so their body feels supported, empowered, and comfortably challenged, not overwhelmed. An excessive stress response to movement is the fastest way to lose your consistency again.
3️⃣ Reflection is what informs your next movement experience. Do you ever get that advice that if you can't complete something today, just start it or set it up for tomorrow? That's the mindset here. Reflection helps you hone in on your baseline faster, which helps you choose the right difficulty for next time.
Remember that a consistent relationship with movement means building on wins and focusing on immediate positives like a lifted mood, more energy (not less), and changes in sleep, appetite, and hydration that feel aligned. Writing down those positives helps you keep track of them so you can build thoughtfully.
If you've been reading these newsletters for a while, you'll know that movement is not punishment for existing in your body. It's not something you "have" to do because you ate the wrong thing or look the wrong way. Ilona Maher is not thinking about her thighs when she's clotheslining someone at the Olympics. We are not thinking about cellulite and scale weight when we breathe deep into our pelvic floors and release the body shame placed on our shoulders as women. Movement is power, not punishment.
Some more things to focus on while you rebuild your relationship with movement, whether your break was long or short:
✨ What you can do, not what other people say you should do
✨ What you enjoy doing, not what feels hardest
✨ What makes you feel capable, not inadequate
These are better measures than any number on a scale or on the side of a dumbbell. You are allowed to feel good right now.
With you as we focus on the now,
Dana