New Year… Mindful Movement

Photo by: Jonathan Borba

Increasing exercise and physical activity may bring an array of thoughts and emotions to your mind.

 You may think of memories from high school gym class, or how you spent all last year doing cardio to prepare for your cousin's wedding and hated Every. Single. Second. Or maybe you can’t help but think about how you feel everyone is looking at you in yoga class. Whatever your emotions may be towards exercise, it can be hard to separate exercising from the desire to see body changes. Instead of focusing on body composition changes, we invite you to the idea of joyful movement. Everyone, regardless of body size, age, athletic ability, or gender, will feel increased motivation to move their body when it is enjoyable. Let’s walk through a week of examples of how joyful movement could work for you!

Monday

After a busy weekend of traveling, you are feeling energized to get out and move your body. Today you choose to do some strength training so that your muscles feel the burn and you can burn some excess energy from sitting in the car. Here is your plan for your Monday superset pump. Each exercise pair you will alternate 1 set of arms and 1 set of legs.

Shoulder Press - 4 x 8 reps & Squats– 4 x 8 reps - barbell or dumbells

Lateral to front arm raise: 4 x 6 - 7 & Bulgarian split squat – 4 x 6 each leg

Chest Fly (laying down on bench) - 4 x 8 & Step ups  – 4 x 6 each leg - holding 15# each side 

Tricep extension – 4 x 8 & Curtsey Lunges 

Dumbbell Curls - 4 x 8 & Hip thrust 4 x 8 with 30# on hips
**If you are just starting to explore exercise and strength training and do not know what some of the exercises above are or are looking for more guidance on what type of strength training exercise may be best for you, reach out to us! We would love to help you match up your fitness goals with joyful movement. 

Tuesday

After feeling the burn Monday, you decide to do some stretching and engage both your mind and body by attending a new yoga class that a coworker asked you to attend. You’ll get to remove some of the soreness from yesterday and, who knows… you may get to meet new people. 

45 minute yoga + 15 minutes of mindfulness breathing to end the session

Wednesday

Perhaps it's been really cold out the past few days and you decide you want to get a good sweat followed by a sauna session. You decide to do some interval running on the treadmill, bundled up on the sidewalk near your home, or on the track. This allows you time to listen to your favorite podcast while unwinding. 

30 minutes alternating between:

1 minute of running

1 minute of walking

2 minutes of running

2 minutes of walking

Thursday

Maybe today was a really stressful day at work so you decide to do an at home workout. You know that you want to move your body, but instead of pushing yourself to go to the gym and dreading every second of it, you decide to do an at home bodyweight strength training program. Next week you may be feeling up to doing your 2nd strength training of the week at the gym, but for this week, you lean into the idea of joyful movement and have fun doing a 40 minute Sydney Cummings Youtube workout!

Friday

You’ve had dinner with friends planned all week! Enjoy the time with the people you love and take a rest day, you deserve it.

Saturday

Friends you had dinner with last night asked you to go play pickleball on Saturday afternoon. Even though you had planned for a 2-mile run at your own pace, you decide to opt for pickleball instead, knowing that you will still move your body, do some stretching and have fun doing it!

Sunday

You take some time to relax for the week but have some household chores on your mind. You vacuum, do laundry, clean the counters and move your body in these ways, knowing these things need to get done. You do some meal prepping for the week (check out New Year Meal Prepping Menu blog) and enjoy the rest of the day with your favorite TV show or book. What a great week of joyful movement! 

Disclaimer: Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. This general information is not intended to diagnose any medical condition or to replace your healthcare professional. If you experience any pain or difficulty with these exercises, stop and consult your healthcare provider.

Interested in learning more about how joyful movement can help you reach your goals?

We’d love to work with you! Click this link to schedule a complimentary Meet + Greet session. We look forward to finding individualized solutions to fit your needs.

Published: January 29th, 2024. 

This blog post was written by Amanda Brainerd MS, RD, LD, CSCC, a dietitian at Katie Chapmon Nutrition. She works with clients virtually and is accepting new clients.