You know the drill. You went out last night and enjoyed a fabulous meal. You even ate it mindfully. But you're still a little caught in the diet mentality , and you feel like you need to do a bit more exercise today to make up for the meal. So you're trying to get up the motivation to head on over to the gym. Yet you really don't want to. The thought of it keeps you snuggled under the covers, waiting until it's too late to do it.
Welcome to the diet mentality-exercise conundrum -- the belief that we should exercise to help with weight management running head on into our feelings that we really don't want to do it. And it's not like we haven't tried many times to "just do it." How about trying this instead? Approach exercise with mindfulness.
At Green Mountain at Fox Run, we encourage letting go of the "shoulds" and listening to what our bodies want and need. One of the best ways to start: Pay attention to how good it feels to move your body—not how you think your body should look when it moves or how many calories you are burning. This one simple change in focus can drive a real, meaningful change in your approach to physical activity, and keep you doing it.
Check out our FitBriefing "Is Your Exercise Plan Just Another Diet? for four tips to help you successfully make regular exercise a part of your life. ~Written by Marsha Hudnall, MS, RD, owner and director of Green Mountain at Fox Run, a Vermont retreat that helps women repair their relationship with food, exercise and their bodies.
Learn more about Green Mountain here and read more of our thoughts on our blog A Weight Lifted