How to make exercise feel like a luxury with Cat Does Wellness.
If you were to get really honest with yourself, do you actually enjoy exercising? So many people exercise because they fear the potential effects of not exercising, which might look like gaining weight or poor health. But when fear is at the core of our motivation, it doesn’t set us up for the best relationship with anything.
For example, if your motivation to read a book was the fear of it being taken from you, then the whole time you’re reading that book, there is going to be a lingering negative energy. Your nervous system isn’t going to be able to relax and it steals some of that joy from the process.
The same idea can be applied to exercise.
For so long, at the core of my relationship with exercise was fear. Fear of losing my physique, fear of my chronic illness taking over, fear of not attracting clients, fear of not being worthy, fear of not being accepted.
That doesn’t set a foundation for a peaceful relationship with exercise. Instead it positions exercise purely as a tool to get your body from A to B, reinforcing the idea that your body is just a project to be worked on.
This fear that drove me, created a block in my bodily intuition.
I stopped listening to my body and I pushed through all the divine messages it was trying to communicate.
I would push through signals telling me to slow down. When I finally took rest I would tel myself off for being ‘lazy.’
Exercise felt like a punishment and a chore.
And I think that this feeling of exercise being a chore is something a lot of us share. Taking time out to move your body can feel like it’s actually blocking progress in other areas of your day.
Or perhaps you just feel so burnt out, you have nothing left in the tank and the idea of working out feels unimaginable.
Maybe, it’s that body image piece that makes your inner critic get louder and drives a wedge between you and a joyful relationship with exercise.
All of these things, don’t make for a luxurious time.
A luxury is something special, an experience of pleasure or joy and helps us in filling up our cup.
I have identified the top four things that have shifted my approach to fitness, from this place of fear to a place of complete luxury.
Number one: My mindset has changed. I no longer motivate myself with fear or body shaming myself. I have released these huge expectations instead, I now focus on how my body feels, on performance goals and how much joy or contentment I gain from a workout.
Number two: I create a supportive environment for my workout. One that incorporates all the senses and entices me onto the mat. So that looks like, lighting a scented candle (from Ria’s Workshop of course) or spraying a beautiful room spray, playing my favourite music of the moment, wearing clothes that I feel comfortable in.
Number three: Is about moving in ways that meet me where I am in that moment. Being consistent with my workouts, yet having flexibility within them. If my energy is low that day, I adapt my workout to support me better.
Number four: Habit pairing is a great way to integrate your workout within your day or week. I like to turn off my computer at 4 pm provided I don’t have a client. I then move to the mat and start my workout. Post workout I grab a warm cup of tea and journal. This way I have a habit paired my end-of-work day, and my journaling and workouts, which combined actually make it a bit of a mini-retreat.
So, there’s a little overview of how to get exercise to feel more like a luxury. Ultimately it’s taking action from a place of kindness and remembering that your body knows best.
In good energy,
Cat
hello@catdoeswellness.com
Launching in 2024
The Reset: A 45-minute fully body workout and meditation.
Re-rooted: A 6-week fitness & well-being program (4 people max), 90 minute weekly meet ups.
9th Nov 2023
I was delighted to speak today in such beautiful safe space.
