Moving for me (and the future me)
Sarah Langridge, founder of WildStrong Berkhamsted writes..
I’ve been catching up with podcasts and reading recently and it’s got me reflecting on why and how I move – and I use that word deliberately, rather than exercise.
With the start of the year, there have been all sorts of health, wellbeing and physical activity messages – whether it’s eating well or getting ‘back into shape’ (that’s another story and WildStrong Co-Founder Gill Erskine’s blog on this topic is well worth a read – here ). Admittedly I have been really focusing on my activity recently and hence I’ve been thinking about why I’m doing that. Essentially, it’s because it makes me feel better – physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel stronger, have clearer thoughts, am more productive, feel calmer, happier and brighter, and to be honest, I’m a better person, and importantly for me, a better parent. To borrow a quote from a recent podcast, for me making time for movement is not a luxury, it’s a necessity (Caroline Williams on Make Movement Matter podcast).
So that brings me to how I move for me.
Despite having an interest in the area, personal and professional, I find all the information and advice out there overwhelming at times, and downright technical. Should I be doing this or that, how often, what weight should I use? If I count everything up I ‘should’ be doing, it would seem I need to be doing something more days than there are days in the week which does not feel viable with a busy life, even though I enjoy it!
The size of the physical activity industry is immense with a vast array of options to suit all preferences. Amidst the new year articles and blogs, I saw a newspaper article on ‘Fitness in 2024’. It includes some really interesting classes and trends but many seem pretty niche. I’d love to have the practical ability to do some of them but many don’t seem accessible to me considering things like time, location and finances. It also can feel like they are something else I need to fit in along with all the other types of movement (that word again!).
In the past to be honest I probably did exercise because of a ‘should’ and to some degree for body image. I’m sure it made me feel better but not in such an overt way as it does now and it was certainly much more of an effort to go to the gym / run / bootcamp. In the past few years, my relationship with physical activity has changed. I now know how much I need it to purely function on a daily basis. If I haven’t moved enough, I feel it on multiple levels.
Recently I have started to have much more interest in the importance of moving in and for later life and thinking about the ‘future me’ is definitely something that influences me more. Of course I don’t necessarily know what that might be but looking at people around me, it’s likely to be being active, getting down to the ground or other objects, spending time with friends and family and enjoying the outdoors. So I have started to build more strength, balance and flexibility work in, which has been known to involve tree climbing! Whilst it’s never too late to start, no doubt the earlier the better and then I get the benefits now too.
So when I consider all the messages out there and what I need, I have concluded I move for me. I do and will do what makes me feel good, with a little a bit of discipline for the stuff that is good for us especially when it feels hard, and not get too hung up on whether it’s the absolute ‘best’ thing, or indeed on ‘trend’. Some days I run or swim, some days it’s more strength based, and others it’s yoga or walking. I play with the kids in the playground or woods, spend time on the ground (I’ve been known to crawl around our house!), and try to try new things when I have the opportunity – last year was Cross-Fit, this year Reformer Pilates (very different but both powerful and have got a lot from both). More often than not it’s a combination and whilst I have a ‘plan’ for the week, I try to listen to what my body and mind need and adapt when I need to. For I am the expert in ‘me’ and what I need then and there, with an eye to the future me.
If you are wondering what to do, my simple advice is do what you feel is right and what you like. Start small and what you feel comfortable with. Don’t worry too much about all the information out there (of course seek out advice for any medical conditions) but move on the floor or go for a short walk if that feels good. Then you will be moving for you and finding what you need.
Resources
Not references, advice or a comprehensive list but things I’ve come across which resonated with me and inspired!
Book - The Joy of Movement: How exercise helps us find happiness, hope, connection, and courage – Kelly McGonigal
Book - Move! The Science of Body over Mind – Caroline Williams (admittedly not read this one yet!)
Hayley Lever blog post with insights from some experts and links to greater depth content and research around Physical Literacy: here
Michael Mosley’s Just One Thing podcast in particular Exercise Special
Zoe Science and Nutrition podcast and in particular