What Is Joyful Movement & How Can It Help You Actually Enjoy Exercising?

You’d probably heard that staying physically active is great for your physical and mental health. Exercising regularly helps reduce your risk of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, improves your cognitive functions and boosts your self-confidence, just to name a few.

Yet, exercise is often associated with intensity, physical pain and pushing ourselves to the limit. But it doesn’t have to be this way, according to a new practice that’s on the rise.

You may have seen the term “joyful movement” before and disregarded it as an exercise fad. But this isn’t a typical fitness trend, like the 75 Hard Challenge or the 12-3-30 workout. 

Read on to find out more about what joyful movement is and how you can incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle that works for you.

What Is Joyful Movement?

Simply put, joyful movement is the idea that you should enjoy the exercise you choose to do. There may be some days when you crave a sweat-inducing, heart-pumping workout, but maybe other days, you want a more relaxed way to move your body. 

An inclusive practice, joyful movement is a realistic fitness ideology for all body types. While many fitness trends may be tedious and have strict rules, it’s up to you as to how you want to practice joyful movement. 

So whether that’s a hike with friends, engaging in active hobbies or doing an at-home workout while watching your favorite show, there are several ways to move your body besides a jog or trip to the gym.

Why Is Joyful Movement Important?

While tough workouts can benefit your health, they could also be physically and mentally difficult. Not to mention, pushing yourself too hard could lead to injury. It’s great when you’re up for the challenge, but for your regular routine, it may be hard to feel motivated when you’re consistently not enjoying your workout. Moving your body shouldn’t be something you dread, so joyful movement promotes a healthier relationship with exercise. 

It may also help you want to work out more regularly, resulting in healthier habits within your daily routine. In a 2022 research study published in Frontiers in Psychology, there was a clear correlation between exercise participation and intensity of the workout. Those that participated in the study were more likely to exercise frequently when doing workouts catered to their personal preferences instead of following an intense program or plan.

3 Ways to Make Joyful Movement Part of Your Routine

If you’re looking for ways to incorporate joyful movement into your everyday life, here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Combine Activity with Something You Love

It may make it more appealing to be more active if you couple movement with other daily activities you enjoy. This could include watching your favorite show while doing at-home exercise or listening to music or an audiobook on a power walk. By including these fun hobbies into your workout, you’ll find yourself starting to look forward to the active part of your day.

2. Include Family and Friends

Who says you have to exercise alone? Bring along a friend or family member on a walk, hike or even to the gym with you the next time you take on the equipment. Having someone by your side while you move can be a motivating and joyful experience. Plus, it might make you more likely to stick to it if you coordinate a time each day or week that works for both you and your partner!

3. Make Realistic Goals

It’s great that you want to make challenging and ambitious goals for the future, but that can sometimes turn out to be daunting or unmotivating. Start with baby steps: make a goal for how far you want to walk that day or how much time you want to set aside for cardio. Remember that it’s not about proving anything but rather about maintaining healthy habits, so including joyful movement into your schedule is already a win.

The Bottom Line

Finding a fitness routine that works for you is the key to keeping your body moving on a daily basis. The practice of joyful movement encourages you to move your body in the way that actually feels good for you, because there are many ways to have a healthy fitness routine.

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