Discovering Joy Through Embodied Exercise

Gaining a deeper understanding of what we want is crucial to embracing exercise in an enjoyable and effective way. It’s hard to enjoy exercise if there’s something we truly want from it and we’re not progressing toward it. Making sustained progress is difficult if we haven’t clarified what we’re aiming for.

At the start of every run, my anxiety was super heightened, but as I ran, that rhythmic repetition lulled me into a moving meditation where the thoughts dropped away. And a realization that the body was strong. The body holds the wisdom, it was sending a message, ‘Actually, you’re healthy, Katie.’”

We might also eat our meals mindfully, slowly savoring each bite with appreciation. Take a daily walk in nature, looking at everything entering our field of vision with gratitude and connection. Take a moment to marvel at the feeling of our heartbeat and the movement of blood through our veins before sleep.

If you run, you already have a deeper connection with yourself – a deeper connection with the world – than those who don’t. You have already experienced moments of utter childish, joy-evoking freedom, moving forwards powered only by the gifts that nature has given you. In those moments, you have been stripped back. Away from a constant connection t