Mindful Movement: Finding What Works for You
- Cristina Luibil, MS, RD, LDN
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
How to separate movement from diet culture and find what works for you.
Written by Emily Edling & Cristina Luibil, MS, RD, LDN. Edited by Sabrina Stadelman
I (Emily) wanted to talk about a common gift: the smartwatch. My smartwatch has been a helpful device. I have a few notifications that push to my watch, which help me know when I'm getting an important text or phone call. I'm pretty picky about what gets to interrupt me with a vibration on my wrist, but it has overall been a useful device. The smartwatch scene has certainly changed the way we relate to a lot of areas of our lives.
When I first got my watch, it was honestly to track my fitness: how many steps, how many standing hours, and minutes of movement. At first, I did not feel like I was especially motivated by closing all the colorful circles. But when I did manage to close those rings, I felt a sense of pride- like I was extra virtuous that day or something. (Those app developers knew I would grow in my motivation to close those circles!) That being said, when I had the activity tracking set as my home screen for my watch, I paid way too much attention to it. It has been beneficial for me to hide the fitness tracker app and choose a simple watch face that simply displays the time. Cristina has turned the fitness tracker off altogether. There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to movement. Maybe fitness trackers work for you- maybe they even motivate you. Maybe they don't. Either way, that is completely okay! The most important thing is to find what works for you.
This time of year, there are plenty of ads and deals for gadgets or fitness packages that promise to help you change your body and achieve health (keep in mind that we don't need to change our bodies to improve our health).
I try to be extra cautious about where I'm giving my attention, knowing things like fitness trackers have the potential to hook me back into diet culture. I remind myself to pause and gauge if I'm attracted to something that will be a good thing for me in the long run, or if I'm falling for the promises of diet and wellness messaging that will ultimately be harmful to my relationship with my body.
The more tuned in I am with myself, the easier I can discern whether something will be helpful for appreciating and honoring my body, or whether it will hinder my relationship with my body.
What about you? How do you figure out if something is a good fit for you personally, or if it's something you should let roll on by?
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Disclaimer: The information shared in this blog is for general educational and informational purposes only. It may not be tailored to your specific health needs as it is written here. This content is not intended to replace personalized medical advice, nutrition counseling, or medical nutrition therapy. Any recipes or suggestions provided are meant to inspire and should be used at your discretion. Always consult with your own registered dietitian, physician, or healthcare provider before making changes to your nutrition, lifestyle, or treatment plan. If you choose, Aterra Nutrition would be happy to help you in your own, individual nutrition and intuitive eating journey.