How to Reclaim Your Movement Practice From Diet Culture
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
We all know that physical activity has tons of benefits. It improves our physical and mental health in numerous ways, but it’s not always so easy to develop a healthy relationship to physical activity.
Diet culture conditions many of us to have harmful relationships with movement (my preferred term for physical activity).
For example, you may notice all-or-nothing behaviors around movement like going hard at the gym for a few days and then struggling to get off the couch the following few days.
If this resonates with you, you’re not alone. In this article, learn tips for reclaiming your movement practice whether you struggle to take rest days, struggle to get or stay active, or struggle with separating movement from dieting.
Note: I’ll primarily be using the term “movement” because it has a more neutral connotation, as opposed to exercise which has a more rigid, regimented connotation
If you struggle to take rest days
If you struggle to take rest days, it’s probably a sign you need to take a longer time to rest! I know, it may sound anxiety-provoking. And honestly, the amount of rest you need may feel scary to you.
On a weekly basis, most experts recommend at least 1-2 days of rest per week. It might even be worth taking a week or two or more away from movement, especially if you’re noticing a compulsivity to your movement pattern.
When you’re taking a period of time to rest, you may notice increased anxiety. If this feels extremely difficult for you, you may need increased support from a registered dietitian or therapist well-versed in exercise issues.
Part of the process is riding the anxiety wave until you can trust that all will be okay if you don’t workout.
Try picking up some new hobbies to occupy your time when you would normally be working out.
Find new, healthy ways to self-soothe so you have multiple tools in your toolbelt. This could include crafting, socializing, journaling, or catching up on the latest shows!
Remember, rest promotes recovery. If you don’t rest, your body will be running on empty and won’t have the time it needs to recover. You’re more likely to get injured, sick, and have low mood.
In fact, if you are a competitive athlete, overtraining syndrome is a potential consequence of inadequate rest that can also be impacted by not eating enough.
So, rest days are beneficial and necessary, especially if athletic performance is a priority of yours.
If you struggle to get or stay active
If inertia is your issue, let’s dive into the WHY. Sometimes, the reasons are similar to the reasons for those who struggle to rest, it just manifests differently. Some common reasons include:
All-or nothing thoughts. Maybe a full hour-long workout sounds too daunting, but you don’t think a 10-minute stretching session “counts”
Previous history of diet-related exercise. You may have a really negative view of exercise if it was always weight-centric for you. If you’re pushing your body too hard and doing prescriptive movement that isn’t fun for you, all while restricting, it makes sense you’d struggle to be active now.
Limited view of what movement looks like. Have you ever considered gardening? A dance party to the latest Bad Bunny album? Salsa dancing? All of these “count” as movement, but they may not be the first things that come to mind. If what comes to mind is a gritty, tough gym session or running for miles and miles, maybe there’s room to get creative and consider forms of movement that are fun for you.
Consider reflecting on these three areas and notice what resonates with you. Maybe you start by doing a 5-minute stretch, dancing to one of your favorite songs, or going for a walk with your partner.
Start small and be open-minded in finding movement that feels good for you. If you enjoy doing it, you’ll want to do it more often!
If you struggle with detangling movement from dieting
A lot of the time, our introduction to movement as teens or adults is through diet culture.
We hear of weight loss workout programs or see articles touting exercises to attain a certain body type. We come to know movement through numbers–calories burned, minutes of activity, miles run.
While some of these numbers can be beneficial in certain circumstances—monitoring miles during marathon training, for example—for many of us, these numbers cause harm.
We’re disconnected from what feels good in our bodies. Instead, we’re focused on reaching an arbitrary numerical goal.
Related: Should I Use a Fitness Tracker?
Here are 3 tips if you struggle to separate movement from dieting:
Try a new form of movement that doesn’t have diet associations for you. For example, if running is a form of movement you associate with dieting, consider trying something different that doesn’t have those associations for you.
Engage in movement without tracking it. Fitness trackers are super popular, but are they causing you to feel guilty about or obsessed with your movement routine? Try ditching the tracker and tuning into your body.
Find other reasons to move. Center your movement around its true benefits. These could include socialization, endorphins, empowerment, strength, mobility, and connection with your body.
Final Thoughts
Your relationship to movement doesn’t have to be a life-long struggle.
Working towards detangling movement from diet culture not only promotes more sustainable, fun movement, it can also promote bone health, heart health, stress reduction, and boost your mood. And remember, a key part of being active is taking time to rest.
If you’re struggling to make peace with your cultural foods, our 3-part Latina dietitian-led masterclass on intuitive eating is a great first step towards healing.
For meal inspiration plus education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes and focus on your health without dieting, check out our nutrition library.
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Should I Use a Fitness Tracker?
