Relearning What Your Workouts Feel Like
Fitness in the Darwinism sense of the word - survival of the fittest, thriving in life, and training to thrive.
How should I feel after a workout? What even is a workout? In the past I only viewed exercise as extreme exertion, a necessary chore. At one point in my life I believed I hadn’t worked out properly unless I couldn’t walk the next day, and felt every muscle in my body ache. I spent countless hours working out, but was never satisfied. The more I treated my body to Pilates and did fewer workouts that felt like punishment, I was better able to understand how exercise could really serve me in this life.
Getting real about our expectations of what workouts mean to us as individuals is freeing, and in my opinion, it is the ultimate rebellion from the fitness industry. We as a society have all been sold an image of what a healthy body looks like, and many of us work toward that picture in our minds whether it’s relatable or not. At this stage in my journey of health and wellness, I no longer do grueling workouts that serve as punishment, because I don’t look like that person who symbolizes health and in order to look like her, I would be unwell.
For me using exercise as punishment distills down to “I’m not good enough,” and that is not the messaging I aim to send this body of mine. This is not to say I don’t push myself when I exercise, more that the dial is set to my personal goals and expectations rather than what I’ve been told a workout should feel like. Pilates has been a helpful conduit for finding my own limits and has helped me develop self-awareness to know when to push and when to yield on any given day. There are days I get my mat out for gentle breathwork and muscle release and end up an hour later in dynamic Pilates sequencing. Likewise, I might add the jump board to the reformer with plans of getting my heart rate up only to discover my ankles are not moving well and my knees ache when I jump. On days like this if I slow down, mobilize my ankles, take time to move my hips, and activate my glutes (bum muscles) I walk away feeling accomplished, and like I did something good for my body.
The important thing to extract is that there is almost always some type of movement that can be done that will make you feel better if you approach exercise with awareness rather than glaze over it out of necessity. The challenge is letting go of expectations of what a workout should be, and try and listen to what you really need from your workout. Relearning what your workouts look and feel like takes practice; moving more often and in shorter intervals can be a positive way to develop awareness around your limits. For some, dialing exercise way back and building up thoughtfully can be a healthy way to explore what actually feels good on any given day. Always asking for support when you feel uninspired or notice you’re falling into a pattern that’s working against your needs; being in dialogue with someone who is encouraging, body-positive, and can help you develop adjectives for what sensations you’re feeling can be so impactful.
When we exercise to move and love our bodies deeper, harder, bigger, better it’s a feeling of pure liberation my friends.