Want to turn everything you know about exercise on its head? That struggle of making it happen? All the willpower that needs to be mustered? The endless “shoulds” for each missed class or walk? Well, you can. You just need to adopt the mindset of the Effortless Exerciser.
And what is that Louise, I hear you ask. Here’s the thing: When exercise is a hard habit to make stick, and we keep falling off the wagon it’s a signal we are using exercise to GET something from our body. Usually, it’s to be thinner, to have a smaller bottom, or to get rid of the entire tube of Pringles we accidentally snaffled last night.
We want to GET a result from our body in terms of how it looks and weighs. And sometimes we want to punish ourselves for a less-than-stellar diet. It’s a pretty harsh relationship when you look at it. It’s all get, get, get.
We can find a much more peaceful and powerful way. And that’s to start viewing exercise as something we GIVE to our body. Not because we are trying to force a certain result, but because we only have this one remarkable body to live in for the entirety of our life, and that we want to honour and respect it. We want to give it what it needs, simply because it needs it, not because we are trying to elicit something in return.
We give from a place of love and generosity. We give because we want to look after it, and it likes to move. It’s like walking the dog; you walk the dog because you love the dog and it needs to be walked to be healthy and happy; not because you are trying to get the dog to give you something. You give to the dog. Regularly walking the dog is love in action.
Moving your body often is self-respect in action. It’s about giving generously, rather than trying to drive an outcome. Effortless exercising is about giving not getting. It’s choosing nourishment rather than punishment.
Life coach Louise Thompson helps people unlock their happiest and healthiest life. Find more at louisethompson.com