I don’t have the easiest time staying active. I’ve never been a natural athlete or an adrenaline junkie. I kinda hate sweating. I really hate getting off the couch.

So my relationship with movement has always been results-oriented: “Am I losing weight? Am I skinny yet? Have I sufficiently punished myself for my last meal?” On and on and on. I exercised because I hated my body. Period.

During the first phase of my intuitive eating journey, I took a long break from the gym. I needed to NOT see the scale in the locker room and myself in the mirror and all the numbers on the treadmill. I needed a minute.

But in the years since, I’ve found my way back to exercise, and it feels different than it was before. I try to move for movement’s sake, whether that’s a walk around the block or a quick Youtube workout at home, and I’ve noticed some great effects of exercise that I really love and have come to depend on.

And honestly, sometimes I still struggle to get off the couch. When I need inspiration to move my body, I have to look beyond the skin-deep stuff. These are the reasons that work for me….sometimes. Sometimes I stay on the couch. And that’s okay too.