Movement nourishes. Our bodies desire and deserve a steady and consistent diet of different types of nourishing movement: walking, swimming, dancing, laying down, reaching, curling up. Just like we try to eat a variety of foods and vegetables of different colors, we feel best when we get different varieties of movement: the slow, stretchy, and sensuous that quiet and soothe us, alongside the more upbeat movements like dancing or walking that help move out energy and move through emotions like nervousness, anger, excitement or joy.
movement is not
punishment, and it’s not barter for food.
Both food and movement nourish us. Sometimes if you are moving a lot in exhausting ways you will need a lot more food to maintain your energy. But in general, I think we need to be very wary of thinking of movement as being punishment or penance for cookies. It’s a societal hangover from diet culture that’s just really, really not cool. Cookies can nourish our joy and our spirit, movement can too. Likewise, either one can be done in a way that feels bad. Just depends on how you’re thinking about it.
Movement is also not a chore. Sometimes there’s inertia that makes continuing on in the same way (on the couch, at the desk working, or go-go-going) seem better than switching up the energy by going for a walk or popping on a little prenatal yoga video. But usually if we create a little quiet, we can tune into what the body needs and is actually asking for. Maybe the dread about going for a walk is because it’s super hot and sunny outside, and maybe a stretch in the AC, or under a tree in the shade is what the body is really craving right here, right now. Or maybe the interpersonal component of a group class feels draining, and a more aligned option would be a little walk, watching the birds, hearing the sounds of life in your neighborhood. Sometimes its as simple as lying down, resting, and moving the head and neck to look around the room: a big impactful reset in a busy or stressful day.
In the third trimester, as things get heavy, slow, suspended, it can really start to feel like a chore. You are lifting weights in your sleep! So a lot more rest than you’re used to might be completely appropriate. For some people, lots of resting is really uncomfortable, so it’s ok to just be with that discomfort and be gentle with yourself. And a little nourishing, slow, stretchy movement can be a form of rest too, or it can be a big chore, depending on how you’re thinking about it.
If movement was a gift, just for you, just for what you need today, what would it be?