Rituals and Tools I Use to Feel Good in My Body During My Movement Practice
How I get out of my head and into my body so I can be as present as possible with my movement practice(s)
I’ve been a mover since I was young. I got into working out at the gym in high school, and I’ve prioritized a movement practice of some sort ever since.
My relationship to moving my body hasn’t always been a strong one. It’s been a grand mixture of fragile, rocky, powerful, and disheartening at times. It’s taken me a long time to be finding myself in a place where I’m pretty consistently enjoying my movement practice, and I really do think that feeling good in my body while moving has a lot to do with it.
I’ve picked up on a thing or two over the years about how my brain works when it comes to moving my body. I’ve learned the types of clothing I prefer to wear to feel most supported. I’ve learned how to navigate the mental gymnastics of pushing myself to my limits while honoring my daily ebbs and flows. I’ve learned what types and amounts of food and water my body typically requires before and after exercise. All of these learnings have me standing in a place, at 33 years old, where I can actually say I feel solid in the rituals around my movement practice.
When I’m moving my body, it’s important to me to be present. I want to be in the moment, focusing on my breath and my physicality. Not stuck deep in a spiral about how much I hate how I can see the outline of my belly through my leggings or how much of my skin is pouring out over my leggings and sports bra. All of these things bring me out of the present moment and start taking me down a bad body image spiral, which ultimately leaves me walking out of class with less confidence than I walked in with.
But I’ve been on a quest to find the tools and rituals that helped me have the strongest, most present, and epically enjoyable workouts that I possible can have.
For me, I need lots and lots of water. But if I eat too close to my workout (especially if it’s an intense one), I’m not able to move as freely as I’d like. I’ve learned what types of foods my body will function best on, about how much to consume, and how much time I need to digest before a workout. It’s a fine line between nourishing my body with the foods that will allow me to sustain my workout, while ensuring I have enough time to digest before moving - and on some days, it isn’t always possible. However, the overall implementation of this knowledge into my routine is a tool I require to feel good in my body during my workout. I’ve learned I don’t do well with eating before a morning workout, but I need to eat a hearty, savory meal within the hour after the workout, or I’ll feel sick.
I’ve learned there are certain garments that help me feel best in my body for certain workouts. I have my “sculpt set” and my “slow flow set,” and yes they both have different fabrics and compression levels. I’ve learned that I need to slick my hair back to my head and have it either in a tight, low bun or up in a claw clip so it’s not flapping about while I’m moving.
I’ve also learned how to honor where I am at on each individual day, because I’m going to have different thoughts and feelings arise on different days. The cool thing is, on the days where I’m not feeling as great in my body, I don’t like the way I look in the mirror, I ate too much before my workout, or I’m not wearing my ideal outfit, I am usually able to mitigate the spiral. Not always, of course. But centering these practices and rituals day in and day out has given me the tools to support myself through the bad body image days too.
I want to caveat and say that I share this essay as things that have worked for ME. They may not work for you. Your body and mind more than likely require variations of these things in order to feel good during YOUR movement practice. Remember, this is ultimately about discovering what works best for you and you alone.
What are some tools, rituals, or practices you can identify that might help you feel more present and aligned in your work outs?
We have to prioritize what makes us feel the best in our bodies and about our bodies so that we can have the most present, aligned, honoring movement practice we possibly can ❤️🔥
While I’m not a licensed therapist, registered dietician, or medical health professional and cannot speak to body image topics from a clinical, trauma-informed place, I am an expert of lived experience. I’m an academic of my own body, and I’m passionate about facilitating conversations with other humans about their relationships with their bodies. I believe it’s important to continue conversations about healthy body image in creative spaces as a means to heal individuals as well as the collective whole. But just know the information presented in this medium is not professional mental health advice or medical advice, and any questions or concerns you have should always be directed to your healthcare providers.