Three ways to practice intuitive movement

For the longest time, I was obsessed with my metrics. I’d rate the value of a workout by the calories burned (more = better), or the time I spent moving (longer = better), or the amount of yellow high-intensity bars I saw on my heart rate monitor readout (more intense = better). But I was missing the point – the main reason I want to move my body. I was looking at the wrong things to measure success.

Exercise should be a celebration of what my body is capable of, nothing more.

These days, I try to measure my success on the way I interpret the cues my body is giving me. I do this with the hope of staying injury-free, fit, and happy in my own skin. I want to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and limber and fall asleep feeling tired and accomplished. I want my workouts to nourish my life, to add to it rather than take away or become another task I need to check off my to-do list. And I want to my fitness to do all of this for me for the next several decades.

That’s my why.

Exercise should be a celebration of what your body is capable of.

The way to practice this listening to your body during a workout is what experts have termed intuitive movement. It’s the practice of connecting with your body during exercise and responding to what it needs, rather than tuning out and pushing through. You plug in and interpret your body’s internal cues to determine what type of movement, duration, and intensity would benefit you most TODAY. Mindfulness is the cornerstone of intuitive movement, and you practice staying present in whatever type of movement you choose to do.

What I love most about this is that the focus shifts from the outside to the inside. It changes the “success measurement” from external metrics like calories burned, skinny jeans that fit, photos I think I look great in to internal cues – how it feels to breathe heavily and recover, how my muscles respond to that final rep, how awesome a good deep stretch feels after a big effort.

It resets my attention to being in awe of and celebrating what my body can DO rather than what it looks like. Movement is something we should enjoy and find challenge and satisfaction in, not something that should be dreaded or endured.

Here are some tips to try intuitive movement in your next workout:

1. Unplug your play-by-play metrics. If you’re on a cardio machine, cover the screen with a towel. If you wear a heart rate monitor, skip it for a session.
2. Curate an awesome playlist that motivates you. If you’re like me, you spend more time selecting the right apparel than you do preparing a great list of songs. In the rest of your life, you may spend more time researching your next AirBnb vacation spot or iPhone purchase than talking with your doctor or reconnecting with friends. Make the time and space to prepare for a happy workout so you can fully enjoy it.
3. Listen to your body’s cues. My soccer coach used to ask, are you hurt or are your injured? Maybe just semantics – but in this context, differentiate the meaning of the words. If you’re feeling tired, challenge yourself – your workout can actually reinvigorate you. If you’re exhausted, dial back your intensity and focus on the restorative feelings of circulation through gentle movement, stretching, and hydrating your body. Or you just might need to take a complete rest day.

Have you tried incorporating intuitive movement? Share your experience below!