Your Body Knows How to Move
Some of you may know I broke my ankle at the end of 2023.
At the time, I had a 8 month old and a 3-year-old.
I have been injured many times in my life, but this one felt even more humbling.
All of my injuries have taught me something, usually to slow down, to be in my body, to not rush.
I was in a hurry to get dishes done while my daughter napped, to rush and do all the things I couldn’t do while she was awake.
She’d nap for 20, maybe 40 minutes if I was lucky.
More than anything, I needed to rest when she was resting, but I refused to slow down.
So my body forced me, as it tends to do.
Fast forward to 2025
At the risk of boring you with injuries
How Do I Start Moving My Body More?
This is a wild question, and yet in the age of devices, becoming more and more sedentary, it starts to feel as though our bodies are foreign.
How do we care for them?
How do we move them?
How do we feed them?
And yet, aren’t these supposed to be basic?
How do you move your body?
You get up and move it around.
Easier said than done, sure, but that’s the gist of it.
You don’t have to start some crazy fitness routine, you don’t have to run a marathon, you just need to move around.
My favorite place to start is lying flat on my back.
Grab onto your knees and circle them around, take your legs to one side, and explore twisting from side to side.
Connect to your breathing.
Feel all the muscles that are involved in taking a deep breath.
Bring your knee to your chest and hold it there for a few breaths.
Explore being with your breath and body.
Your body knows how to move; it does it all day, no matter how much you neglect it.
Some movements inevitably get harder because a sedentary life leads to muscles that aren’t being as activated as those of people who are working out and moving regularly.
Your body will adapt to the amount of stress placed on it.
If you are sitting for 9 hours or more a day, then lying down to watch TV and rest, and then sleeping, your body will adapt to that stress.
Start with a simple movement routine on your back,
With a short walk,
With a breathing meditation,
With hula hooping,
With a few push-ups against a couch,
Start with something and stick with it.
The only difference between a sedentary lifestyle and an active lifestyle is consistent, intentional movement.
You have to set aside time to care for your body.
Time to move it freely.
Time to connect to your unique body needs.
When you start moving, keep a beginner’s mind about it.
Don’t let your mind harp on you about how lazy you are, how dumb you are, how you don’t know how to move your body well, how you are worthless, or whatever horrible things your mind might have to say. These are a few of the things my mind goes toward, even after decades of movement.
Use a candle or an inspirational picture to look at as a way to focus your thoughts on what you would like more of.
Whenever I find a new practice I am enjoying, my mind likes to attack me for not knowing what I didn’t know.
HA! We can’t know what we don’t know, silly.
Having a beginner’s mind means you are seeing something for the first time.
It’s new
It’s exciting
It’s scary
It’s unknown
Anyone can benefit from this perspective, even if you’ve been studying the same thing for decades. When you keep a beginner’s mind, there is always room to learn more.
More on learning new techniques and ways to move the body next week.
Speed & Agility
A personal trainer is expected to know everything, which is crazy!
It’s also exciting and keeps me interested in my job.
I became a personal trainer 12 years ago.
It took me 2 months to become a certified personal trainer.
That’s it.
That’s crazy.
The gap between having a personal training certificate and being a successful personal trainer was wide.
With zero hands-on experience in strength training, you just get thrown into coaching people to move their bodies.
Thankfully previous to this certificate, I had over 1,000 hours of yoga training and certifications.
I had also become a massage therapist a few years prior.
My understanding of anatomy and movement started from a therapeutic lens.
I was determined to bridge the gap between my body and mind, to become enlightened at all costs.
After 20 years of experience in the healing arts world, I am grateful for everything I learned, and I am still not enlightened.
That’s no longer my goal, maybe long term, but in this season, my goals I to be strong.
To be an athlete.
To keep up with my kids.
To inspire my kids to be athletes who care for their bodies and don’t destroy themselves with injuries.
I have had plenty of injuries, none of them came from sports, though, just clumsiness, a car accident, a head trauma from fainting, chasing after my son when I was exhausted and my joints were still loose from postpartum, you know that sort of stuff.
Basically, from living outside of my body
Fun Ways to Move Your Body
A quick Google search will bring up a list of fun ways to move your body, such as Outdoor Adventure
Hiking & Nature Walks: Explore local trails.
Skating: Rollerblading, roller skating, or ice skating.
Cycling: Ride a bike to a park or on trails.
Water Activities: Swimming, snorkeling, or stand-up paddleboarding.
Active Games: Frisbee, batting cages, or beach volleyball.
Playful Fitness
Trampolining: Use a mini-rebounder or visit a trampoline park.
Martial Arts: Try Kung Fu, Taekwondo, or Capoeira.
Rock Climbing: Indoor or outdoor, it builds strength.
Yoga: Flow through a fun, fast-paced session or try inversions.
Everyday Movement
Cleaning/Yard Work: Turn chores into a workout by putting on music.
Active Errands: Walk or bike to the store instead of driving.
Play with Pets/Kids: Chase the dog or play tag with children.
Walking Basketball:
