There is no right or wrong way to move your body.
And there are plenty of movement modalities to choose from.
Why can’t gritty and gentle modalities work side by side in a joyful way?
Well, they can, if you are prepared to tune into your body and ask it what it needs on any given day.
I believe joyful movement is movement that can feel hard or a little bit uncomfortable but still walk away feeling happy and content. Not feeling like you HAD to perform or be pushed passed your limits. And gentle movement can also feel joyful as well as a satisfactory workout for you on any given day.
Joyful movement is movement that an individual enjoys performing and that can change over time.
My blog today was inspired by my friend Jenna from It’s Jenna J and this is her original blog that got me thinking: read the blog here
A few days ago I was spent mentally so I took the more gentle approach to my movement practice. And if the truth be told, I didn’t feel like working out at all, I just knew it would make me feel better. Side note: You do not have to work out if you don’t want to – that decision is yours to make.
And today I felt good so decided a grittier approach was appropriate and I was actually motivated to work out. You can check out the video of both movement modalities I did here: https://youtu.be/yH_lPAAqJjA
Each day, week, month and year are different because we are human, not superhuman. Learn to trust and go with the flow. Everyday our body wants us to stop, tune in ask the question – “What do I need today?”
And if a gentler approach is needed then that is a good workout for you and the same goes for a grittier approach. The work out matches the day.
Full throttle and gritty workout’s every day can be counterintuitive, detrimental to your health and who can actually sustain this long term?
There is no magic potion on what is the “right” amount of gritty and gentle. That is determined only by you on any given day.
Joyful movement is a combination of gentle and gritty, a balanced approach to match your workout to your body, each day, week, month and year.
Changing it up is great, listening to your body is great, all of it is ok. You just need to find what works for you.
How do you balance the gentle and gritty movement modalities in your life?
About me:
Rachelle has been practicing as a movement coach and female health and performance coach for almost a decade.
She coaches people worldwide with her Lean Into Life program as well as Meant To Move Online program delivering doable, exciting and fresh concepts on movement and wellbeing to her clients.
Rachelle is also a writer and presenter on topics such as movement, body image, active ageing and health and wellbeing. She enjoys educating and also learning from others. She upholds very strong core values around movement and wellbeing, coaching women to live a life they love without restriction or judgement.