There is so much to be digested from various forms of media out there discussing Health at every Size and body image. You can really almost get lost in the endless pool of resources, but my favorite form of digestible media tends to be podcasts. I have engaged in listening to many of the podcasts out there on these topics, but I know I’ve only just touched the surface of what is available.

I recently obtained an amazing list of podcasts that make up an “Intro to Health at Every Size” toolkit of sorts from a colleague who is also engaged in this work. When I received this list, I decided to start listening to them all myself because naturally, I don’t want to give a resource to others that I have not experienced for myself. It was while listening to one of these episodes that I knew I’d found my next blog topic.

Jes Baker is an amazing author, speaker, and advocate in the world of Health at Every Size and body image. As part of her episode with Christy Harrison on Food Psych (#154), among many other great tidbits, Jes talked about what she called her “fraught” relationship with movement and exercise throughout the years. This got me reflecting not only on my own experiences with exercise but also the component of exercise and movement in the experience of body image.

We talk so much about food, what’s “good” and “bad" to eat, what our nutrition looks like, and how it impacts our bodies. However, how much do we really think about exercise and the role it plays in our lives? Sure, we get plenty of messages about how fitness impacts weight and how many minutes a day we should be doing “x” to burn off what we ate and maintain our weight. What doesn’t get enough attention and discussion, though, are the other options and how we can actually enjoy what we are doing.

Here’s the bottom line really: All human beings are motivated by different things. This is no different when it comes to movement (which is really what we should refer to exercise as because let’s face it, it sounds less intimidating and is instead just a description of what exercise is). We’ve gotten so far away from the carefree feelings of childhood, when your movement consisted of whatever form of play you decided to engage in with your friends. We didn’t think about how many calories we were burning, just that we were having fun while doing it.

This is what movement should be like, always.

Movement can be a struggle for a number of reasons. For many, engagement in activity was minimal growing up, because of what their bodies looked like or how they were made to feel about its capabilities. This makes it hard then, as an adult, to do something that’s essentially a whole new world of unknown. Even for those who did play sports or were part of an activity that involved movement growing up, it can still be hard to feel good about movement as an adult because for many, much of the free-spirited fun has been stripped away, leaving us with options that can seem restrictive and not exactly inclusive.  

So what’s my point? Well for one, body image and diet culture don’t just impact how we see our physical appearance and how we relate to food. It also impacts what we believe we should be doing with our bodies for movement and for many, it impacts what they feel their bodies are even capable of or “allowed” to do.

I want our culture to realize that shaming people about their bodies often does not motivate them to increase their movement. I want those struggling with how and what to do to get their bodies moving to know that it should always be about fun and that your goals for movement should be YOUR OWN because if it isn’t important to you then it isn’t as likely to stick. It doesn’t need to be about weight or calories burned— and in fact, I’d suggest it not be— because this keeps us stuck in the cycle of body hatred many of us are so accustomed to.

If movement is something you want in your life, then make it your own. Maybe it’s for stress relief and your mental health, or maybe it’s because you're engaging in a fun activity you like with friends. Whatever the reason just know, it is your right to choose!

What motivates you to move?
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