Keep Making Movement Easier and More Enjoyable

Kristen Lillie, WellTheory Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

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3 Tips for Implementing Easier and Enjoyable Movement

Handout: 3 Tips for Implementing Easier and Enjoyable Movement

Below are three small but powerful tips to help you implement with some of your enjoyable and easier movement options. As you read through these tips and think about how you might apply these tips to your current movement options.

Tip 1: Pick One, Start Small and Focus On Consistency

“It’s better to do less than you hoped than to do nothing at all” — James Clear, Atomic Habits

Instead of trying to implement multiple tools or strategies, and going hard for the first day, week or month of movement and then puttering out (or not starting!), pick one option to focus on, start small and keep doing it consistently. Think tortoise, not the hare.

It may not feel like you are making much progress with smaller steps, but it will build up and compound over time when you stick with it and do it consistently. This is especially important when things aren’t working and when stop or end up giving up - more on that next in tip 2!

Tip 2: Learn from What Did NOT Work and Try Again!

When you make an attempt at movement and it doesn’t work out or go well, take time to reflect on what happened, why it didn’t work, and what you’d do differently next time if you had a chance to do it again. This is part of the process and important information building up your experience of what works and what doesn’t.

Every situation provides us experience.

Every experience adds to our knowledge.

And our knowledge + experiences we LEARN from lead to wisdom.

Experience > Knowledge + Learning = Wisdom.

Tip 3: Get More Specific About Your Movement

What will you do? When will you do it? Where will you do it? How long will you do it? How intense will you do it? How often will you do it? Who will you do it with (if anyone)?

Being specific helps clarify the details of what we are doing so we know what is ahead and we don’t have to figure it out later. Details can also help us anticipate challenges and address them before they happen.

Example:

Walk at work at lunch vs. Do a fast walk at my lunch at 12:15pm with Sue for 40 min in the loop every Tuesday as our schedules allow.

Note: for some people, in getting specific, they get stuck on the details or the set plans, and get stuck in the details or get thrown off when things do not happen as planned. If this is you, remember that the intent is to move more so do whatever you need to do to just do it! If you get stuck on the details, ask yourself, “what is the simplest way I can move more?” If you get thrown off by changing plans, one suggestion is to think of your plans as written in pencil. You have a FAT ERASER to be open and flexible to change if needed.

Take Action: Reflection

• What tip did you like the most? Why?
• Thinking back to the movement option you are focusing on, what one tip might you like to apply this next week?
• Do you have any other insights or takeaways as you read through or thought about these tips?

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