HISTORY WITH MOV EMENT Make your way through this list to check off potential trauma/triggers around movement and physical fitness. This is to help bring awareness to those events & to acknowledge those feelings. This list is by no means exhaustive, feel free to add any at the bottom that apply to you. CHILDHOOD & A DOLE SCEN CE ☐ Forced to participate in a sport/activity you did not like. ☐ PE classes performed assessments & assigned grades to your fitness l evel. ☐ PE classes performed assessments of your body. ☐ Parents /guardi ans/ other authority figure used exercise as a form of punishment. ☐ Peers and/or adults ridiculed your ability to perform an activity you were new to. ☐ S erious injury during exercise/physical activity. ☐ Gender dyspho ria around how your body feels when it moves. ☐ Disabili ty was denied, not accounted for or ruled you out of acti vity with your peers. ☐ Burn o ut with a s pecific sport. ☐ Pressure to perform at a certain standard with fitness/sport ☐ Yo ur body type made you negatively stand out during ph ysical activity. ☐ Had a serious injury during exercise/physical activity. ☐ Other: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ A DULTHOOD ☐ Eating di s order trigger ed with movement. ☐ S erious injury during exercise/physical activity. ☐ Yo ur body type made you negatively stand out during ph ysical activity. ☐ Gender dyspho ria around how your body feels when it moves. ☐ R idiculed for your ability to perform an activity you were new to. ☐ Disabili ty was denied, not accounted for or ruled you out of acti vity ☐ Chronic pain/illness. ☐ Chronic fatigue ☐ Depression/anxiety/ADHD /Autism /other me ntal health disorder ☐ Financial instability ☐ Caregiver status ☐ Pressure to perform at a certain standard with fitness/sport ☐ Other: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ______________ Exploring movement Take time to make notes (positive or negative) around all types of movements. This can all ow you to better understand wha t you want to do vs. the notion of what you “should ” be doing. Runnin g/ jogging Walking (indoor or out door) Hiking Weightlifting (free weights, machines, bands ) Calisthenics (bod y weight exercise ) Team spor ts Dancing Swimming Bi king Group exercise Solo exercise Yoga/stretching Other M AKING M OVEMENT J OYFUL Th is outline is designed to help as a guide in repairing your relationship with fitn ess . Follow it in a way that suits you. E ARLY S TAGES ( FIRST 3 MON THS ) • Give y ourself time to fi gure out what activities you truly enjoy. • Set realis tic goals for how often (how many times per week & how long?) • Decide w hether the goal is t o move or to improve. Both are valid & it can shift regularly. • Strong ly discourage tra cking your exercise. • Be willing to allocate funds & time for these activities – it is self - care • Recognize your triggers around exercise - k nowing these can keep you from falling into old patterns. • Go slow . You ’re new at this! • Let go of social media accounts that push ideas you are trying to let go. o Yes, even if they ’re friends or fa mily. Mute/del ete is powerful. B UILDING • Ask yourself: o How am I feeling with movement? o Are there any un health y /unhelpful thoughts? How am I manag ing them? ▪ Ex: body size, ability, performance, appearance, external judgement/validation o Has the amount of m ovement you ’re doing increase d, decreas ed or stayed the same? o Has your goal of move or improve served you? Is it time to change? o Have I encountered a trigger? If so, how did I handle it? If not, how would I? H URDLES & B ARRIERS • Injury: it ’s bound to happen & has happened t o ALL of us, so don ’t beat yourself up. Rest, recover. See a physici an if necessary and follow their protocol. Otherwise, most injuries heal in a few weeks. When you feel better, start back as tho ugh you ’re new to movement: slow and steady. • Mental heal th: so common. Treat it like an injury. Rest & recover. Movement can help break up or shorten these periods, can you make the goal to move vs. im prove? Can you do something gentle (bed stre tches, short walk )? Can you find a friend to do it with you? If the answer is NO, rest is good. • Affordability: if your favorite form of fitness is not attainable at this time because of finances, you have options . One: maybe it ’s okay for it to take a backs eat Your basic needs s hould be met first and foremost before worrying about activity level. Two: if you feel antsy, walks /jogs & free content online is perfect for now • T riggers : They are inevitable , b ut not insurmountable. By now you ’ve hopefully iden ti fie d most of your triggers with exercise. When they happen : observe, feel , cope , heal. M AINT ENANCE – KEEPING IT A HABIT • Keep things interesting: try new forms of movement, invite friends/family along • Treat yourself! S eriously . New wo rkout clothes, new equipment, personal training sessions or classes on something you really enjoy . This creates positive associations with movement • Honoring life ’s e b b & flow. You will hit hurdles and barriers, and you will get back up again. Learn to accept this and enjoy (or at least accept ) the down time , too. • Continue revisiting move vs. improve : o If you really enjoy a specific activity, switching to “ improve ” fires up different brain engines. o If you find yourself stu ck with a specific activity, switching to “move ” lowers pressure we put on ourselves to perform. • Y ou must eat! Movement is putting energy out, make sure you put energy in. o Eat a variety of foods. o Honor cravings when they arise o Drink fluids throughout the day • You must sleep! If your energy is low, maintain ing regular exercise is near impossible : o Aim for at least 6hr every night o Dark , cool rooms are ideal, but you know yourself best. o Limit your sc reen time around bed. o Try to g o to bed around the same time e very night. NOTES: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________ ______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ ___________________________ Follow me on social media: @thejockscientist @thejockscientist @mallowree