Discovering Joy Through Embodied Exercise
What words come to mind when you hear exercise? For many, it’s things like should, grind, and even hate or hurt. For others, it’s fun, play, and even love or pleasure. You’ve likely been told that you have to exercise. Maybe you’ve even been given a list of ten activities that you must do. Today, I’m here to give you permission to let go of all that external pressure. Instead, I invite you to reimagine how you think about exercise and rediscover your own body.
As a child, I was obsessed with playing sports. I loved being on a team, competing to win, and striving to get better. During these years, exercise felt easy. I thrived on external motivation, tangible goals, and consistent progress. Yet, within a year of graduating college and "retiring" from baseball, I felt stuck. My body hurt. I lacked the motivation to exercise. I could feel my strength and energy decreasing by the day.