Let’s talk about how exercise fits into intuitive eating!

What comes to mind when you hear the word “exercise?” The truth is, most of us existing in diet culture have a distorted view of exercise. 

Diet culture tells us:

• Exercise to burn calories and lose weight. (pssst…that’s actually not now it works!)
• The more intense and extreme, the better! (e.g. HIIT? Yes, please! Ultra marathon? Wow, impressive! Yoga? Doesn’t count. Hot yoga? That sounds like more of a workout!)
• No pain, no gain. You must work hard, sweat, and feel the burn in order to get benefits from exercise.
• You’re lazy if you don’t exercise. 

These messages are so toxic. It is setting us up to exercise for the wrong reasons, or to not exercise at all because we’ve made it such a chore.

People tend to fall into a few different categories with exercise:

1. Doing it off-and-on, usually in conjunction with dieting. This leads to feeling like a failure when you aren’t being active on a regular basis. 
2. Exercising with too much rigidity. Pushing yourself to do your planned amount of exercise no matter what, even if you’re short on time or not feeling well, and feeling incredibly guilty if you miss a workout. 
3. Doing it just because you feel like you should. You don’t over exercise, and you are able to take days off, but you don’t particularly enjoy it. You just do it out of a sense of obligation towards your health. 

With intuitive eating, we talk about listening to your body and honoring what it is telling you in regards to food. And exercise is part of the intuitive eating framework as well (it’s principle #9!).

What’s so cool is that we can learn to reframe exercise as “movement” and to view it as something we do because it aligns with our values, and not as a way to punish our bodies. 

In Episode 32 of the Rebuilding Trust With Your Body Podcast, you’ll hear:

• The KEY language shift that will change how you think and feel about exercise
• How to get in touch with what your body wants and needs for movement – and whether it’s more than you’re currently doing, less than you’re currently doing, or just different than what you’re currently doing.
• How to spot the 5 differences between intuitive movement vs toxic fitness culture so that you can choose types of movement that foster a trusting relationship with your body and that align with the IE approach

So, if you’re ready to figure out what work for YOU with exercise, pop your earbuds in and tune in!

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE NOW:

Or, listen & subscribe on your favorite platform:  Apple Podcasts  | Spotify | Deezer |  Google

Search for episode 32 – Intuitive Eating and Exercise – How to Listen to What Movement Your Body Wants and Needs

Here’s a glance at this episode…

[00:01 – 07:49] Changing How We Think About Exercise

How exercise can be enjoyed and seen as a way to connect with one’s body

The key language shift involves changing how we think about exercise

[07:50 – 37:08] Physical Activity Is Good Regardless Of Weight

The difference in how it feels to do exercise vs movement

How physical activity is good for your body, regardless of weight

[26:48 – 31:59]  Improving Mobility Is Important For Overall Health And Well-being

Mobility is important for overall health and well-being

Limited mobility can be due to a variety of factors, including genetics

Ways to improve mobility (without focusing on dieting or weight loss)

[32:00 – 44:06] Wrapping up!

Intuitive movement vs toxic fitness culture  

Key Quotes

“Movement feels a lot more open and free and flexible in terms of how it’s done and how it’s experienced. The possibilities feel a lot more limitless.” – Katy Harvey

“When you take the pressure off yourself and shift that language from exercise to movement, it can really shift the way you feel about it.”  – Katy Harvey

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating

---

Rate, Review, & Follow!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“What I didn’t know I needed! This podcast really helped me understand intuitive eating and how to incorporate it in my life. Katy’s approach to helping us understand and trust our bodies is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move toward healing their relationship with food and their body image. 

Also, if you haven’t done so already, make sure you follow the Rebuilding Trust with Your Body podcast. If you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on value-packed episodes each week.

Let’s get connected! 

• Instagram: @katyharvey.rd
• Facebook: KatyHarveyRD

Looking for more support on your journey to food freedom and body acceptance?

• Join my Facebook group & community “Intuitive Eating Made Easy”
• Take my FREE quiz “What’s Your Unique Path to Food Freedom?”
• Save $120 on HelloFresh, my fav food delivery service!
• Check out my course, Non-Diet Academy