Finding Movement You Love

If you hate the treadmill, get off of it.

If you hate squatting a barbell, drop it.

The key to staying active is finding movement that you love.

And that might take awhile!

The Gym

“I absolutely love the gym.” -Less than 14 percent of the population

A Poem About the Gym

The gym is a community of people focused on working out.

The gym is a sweaty version of speed-dating.

The gym is a place where I can focus on my fitness.

The gym is a distracting chorus of grunting juice monkeys and "clinking".

The gym is a place where I can forget all of my life's worries.

The gym is a place where everyone has a single goal of pushing my body shame trigger buttons.

*snap, snap snap*

As you can see from my charming poem, it's all about perspective and personal experiences.

If you love the gym, go.

Try everything!

Try the treadmill. Try the elliptical! Try the thing that's kind of like an elliptical, but more bouncy!

Take CLASSES!

Or...don't!

Breaking up with the Gym

If the clinking and sweaty speed-dating in my poem spoke to you, then it might be time you and the gym had a talk.

"It's not me, it's you."

So now what!?

I give you...a month of sampling!

A Month of Sampling

We love to sample! Free week trials!? Free spoons of frozen yogurt!? Sign me UP!

You wouldn't buy 5 gallons of mushroom ice cream (it's real) without trying it out, would you?

So don't mentally or financially commit yourself to 6 months at a yoga studio only to find out on day one that it smells like feet and you hate it.

Here is a sample of sampling!

Week 1:

Monday: Yoga Class

Tuesday: 45 minute walk around the neighborhood

Wednesday: Yoga Class

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 45 minute walk around the neighborhood

Saturday: Yoga Class

Sunday: Rest and Reflect (Choose your next one or two movement types to sample)

"I don't really like having to drive to the yoga studio. It's very far from my house But I really love doing yoga. Walking is boring. With or without music I just go nuts the whole time."

Week 2:

Monday: Online Yoga Class

Tuesday: 30 minute jog around the park

Wednesday: Online Yoga Class

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 30 minute jog around the park

Saturday: Yoga Class

Sunday: Rest and Reflect (Choose your next one or two movement types to sample)

"Doing yoga in my own home is so nice. I don't have to go anywhere! I think I'm going to clean out the office of junk and make myself a little yoga space! Jogging might be worse than running. I already set my running shoes on fire in the bathtub."

Week 3:

Monday: Online Yoga Class

Tuesday: Yard work (building fountain)

Wednesday: Online Yoga Class

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Yard work (building fountain)

Saturday: Yoga Class

Sunday: Rest and Reflect (Choose your next one or two movement types to sample)

"Yoga is still awesome. I found hundreds of videos on YouTube. I already have some favorites! Yard work was so nice! I got sweaty and dirty and accomplished something! I wish I had another fountain to put up. I guess any type of work that accomplishes something would be nice!"

Week 4:

Monday: Online Yoga Class

Tuesday: Wood splitting for my neighbor

Wednesday: Online Yoga Class

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Wood splitting for my neighbor

Saturday: Yoga Class

Sunday: Rest and Reflect (Choose your next one or two movement types to sample)

"Yoga continues to be nice. Especially for my sore body! Splitting wood is tough work. My older neighbor usually splits wood for his wood stove, but had an injury a few weeks ago and can't. I knocked on the door and asked if I could help out. Again, it felt so nice to accomplish something and to help another person! I think I know what my routine is going to be. It's the end of my sampling month, so I'm going to use what I learned to carry out next week's routine!"

Monday: Online Yoga Class

Tuesday: Walking while picking up trash in the community park

Wednesday: Online Yoga Class

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Walking while picking up trash in the community park

Saturday: Yoga Class

Sunday: Rest and Reflect (Choose your next one or two movement types to sample)

"My son plays baseball at the park every evening. About a million people have told me I should walk while he practices. I already discovered I hate walking. But, last time I was there, I noticed all the trash in the park. I decided to start bringing a plastic trash bag with me to the next practice. Before I knew it, Tuesday's practice was over... and I had a full bag of trash... and a few thousand steps! And I accomplished something! And I helped others! I have found my movement!!!"

Just Because it's Cheesy, Doesn't Mean It's Not True

You might have found the Month of Sampling "sample" a little...inauthentic. But that's because you were reading another person's journal! You should be ashamed!

Choose two activities.

Start on Monday.

Reflect on Sunday.

Keep what you like.

Toss what you don't.

FIND YOUR MOVEMENT