Defeat this false belief: I’m not someone who works out!

When you hear the words “work out” does it make you want to walk briskly (you don’t run!) in the opposite direction? After all, you’re not someone who works out!

Perhaps you don’t think you have the kind of body that can work out. Or you’re not coordinated enough. Or sexy-strong enough. Or fill in the blank enough.

Whatever your stance is, I’m here to encourage you do have the innate capacity to move in a way that is healthy and happy. You just might need a little encouragement to reframe how you approach it AND an alternative way to look at working out.

You can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved.

Live intentionally – including how you move your body!

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Let’s dive into how YOU CAN find your own healthy happy movement!

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What do you mean by “you’re not someone who works out?”

As I’ve written about before, sometimes phrases like workout, exercise, fitness, etc. can send some folks running in the opposite direction.

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You might have some valid reasons to shudder from the idea of working out. Perhaps it reminds you of…

• Feeling like a loser in gym class because you weren’t fast enough, strong enough, flexible enough, coordinated enough…
• Being totally befuddled by where the ball is in the game
• Someone informs you that you just don’t have what it takes to be a rockstar at X sport or activity
• Just flat-out not enjoying the thing that so many other people seemed to think was a blast

Those memories and emotions are real.

But do you really want them to continue to define how you do or don’t move your body?

What messages are you telling yourself about how you can’t work out?

I could make a ridiculously long list of all the messages we tell ourselves about why we can’t do something. Some of them may be based partially on fact.

But how many of them are actually truthful and helpful?

And… how’s believing those messages helping you so far?

Do they empower you to become a stronger, healthier version of yourself? (We’re not just talking about your physical body – we’re also talking about your personhood!)

If not, then perhaps it’s time to break up with the messages that are more hurtful than helpful.

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You can make healthy happy movement work for YOU, even if you don’t think you can work out

The fantastic thing about healthy happy movement is that you can make it work for YOU. After all, it’s your body – yay!!

Here are some ways to make healthy happy movement work for you.

Remind yourself what physical activities you enjoy

Set a timer for 5 minutes (or less!) and jot down whatever immediately comes to mind from this question:

What are some moments that I felt like a rockstar in my body?

The answers may surprise you.

Maybe it was when you conquered the three flights of stairs to get to work without huffing and puffing. Perhaps it as simply being able to get up and off the ground without groaning. Or chasing a super cute kid around in the park. Or gardening at twilight.

Whatever it is, own it.

Enjoy the fact that you were able to move your body in a way that met your needs and gave you joy. That’s a win, my friend!

Build space into your schedule to prioritize healthy happy movement

Build time into your life for your healthy happy movement by scheduling it.

And, friend, start ridiculously small, like with 5 minutes at a time. We can take five minutes to get happy and healthy, right?

Pick a standing time of the day and do it. You can do this!

Atomic Habits by James Clear has so many research-based tips about building habits. Pick it up to get more guidance!

Need help coming up with ideas? Check out these 9 simple healthy happy movement challenges you can try!

Seriously, these ideas require minimal supplies and you can try them out most anywhere. Yay!

Acknowledge your real limitations

As always, don’t push your body beyond what is truly healthy for it.

If you’ve broken your leg, picking up break dancing (pun accidental… yet satisfying) is not the wisest choice. But… could you check out seated Zumba? Totally!

Sometimes the messages we tell ourselves are more hurtful than helpful.

Rather than simmering in these messages, let’s get pragmatic.

Take a few minutes to jot down what your real limitations are. What makes moving your body more difficult? Makes it hurt? (In a “this just hurts, it’s not building my body kind of way”)

Now that you’ve acknowledged what will not work for you, then you’ve got a better idea of what can work for you. That’s empowering!

Modify for your unique body’s needs

Ever been afraid of looking a bit less cool because you’re not doing the whole shebang? Or “I’m not really working out if I’m not doing everything the instructor does verbatim….”

Dude, who cares?!

Honestly, should someone else’s opinion dictate how you move your body? How do you take care of yourself in a God-honoring way?

If this means you move a bit more slowly, that’s okay. If it means you don’t go as deep into the stretch, that’s fine, too.

Modify as you need to and know that this is yet another way you are taking care of yourself and getting some healthy happy movement. That’s empowering!

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Wrapping up defeating the false belief that you’re not someone who works out

Most likely after reading one article, you still might have some stuff to work through. Replacing a false belief “I’m not someone who works out” typically doesn’t happen overnight.

And that’s okay.

But you’ve got to start somewhere. You are worthy of having healthy happy movement in your life.

As we’ve discussed, here are some simple steps to start defeating this false belief

• Identify the unhelpful messages
• Remind yourself what physical activities you enjoy
• Build space into your schedule to prioritize healthy happy movement
  • Need help coming up with ideas? Check out these 9 simple healthy happy movement challenges you can try!
• Acknowledge your real limitations
• Modify for your unique body’s needs

And… you don’t ever have to call your exercise “working out” or whatever it is that gives you the heebie-jeebies. Call it healthy happy movement. Call it whatever that makes you feel like taking on the world.

You can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved.

P.S. Want some crazy simple steps to start living intentionally? Grab the Embrace Your Potential Playbook. It’ll help you zoom in on your God-gifted personality and give you practical tips to be more intentional, passionate, and purposeful as God’s beloved so you can become the best version of yourself.