Redefining Movement: Why You Do Not Need to Conquer a Mountain Every Day (Part 3)
Updated: Oct 9
There was a time in my own health journey when I believed that exercise only counted if I was close to exhaustion. If I was not sweating profusely on a treadmill, watching the calories disappear from my fitness watch or pushing myself to the point where I could barely speak afterwards, I somehow felt that I had not really exercised. A gentle walk? Definitely not enough. I had somehow convinced myself that exercise needed to be uncomfortable to be useful, and it was an exhausting way to think about looking after my body.
Looking back, I think I had confused exercise with punishment. If I had missed a workout, I felt guilty. If I had not burned enough calories according to my fitness watch, I felt that I had somehow failed
When Did Exercise Become a Punishment?
The older I get, the more I realise how unhelpful that mindset was. We are surrounded by messages telling us to push harder, burn more calories, go further and become fitter, stronger and smaller, as though every workout is another test we need to pass. There is absolutely nothing wrong with challenging ourselves, and I certainly enjoy a good workout, but I no longer believe that every session needs to leave me completely exhausted. In fact, I have become much more interested in what exercise is helping me do rather than how much it is making me suffer.
I want stronger muscles, better balance, good cardiovascular fitness and a body that feels capable. But I have also discovered something I did not fully understand when I was younger.
I actually love the way exercise makes me feel. I feel wonderful. I feel energised. I feel happier. I feel as though I have done something really good for myself. Sometimes I walk out of the gym feeling as though I could conquer a mountain. And that feeling is one of the reasons I exercise.
When Exercise Stops Feeling Like a Chore
I think this is something we do not talk about enough. For some people, exercise can feel like a chore. It can be something they know they should be doing, but don't particularly enjoy. And I completely understand that because I have been there too.
When you are starting out, exercise can be difficult. Your muscles complain, you get out of breath, everything feels harder than it looks and the sofa suddenly becomes extremely attractive.
But I think something can happen if you keep going. You begin to get stronger. You notice that the stairs are easier. You recover more quickly. You realise that you can do something today that was difficult a few months ago. And somewhere along the way, exercise can stop feeling like something you have to do and start becoming something you want to do. Not because you are punishing yourself, but because you like how you feel afterwards. That, for me, has been a surprisingly wonderful discovery.
Movement Does Not Have to Look Like a Workout
One of the most useful things I have learned is that movement happens in all sorts of places, not just in a gym. Walking to the shops, taking the stairs, carrying shopping bags, doing the housework, getting up and down throughout the day and spending time on your feet all contribute to keeping us active.
That does not mean vacuuming the lounge is suddenly equivalent to a strength-training session, because it is not, but it does mean we should stop thinking that movement only counts when we are wearing gym clothes and staring at a fitness machine. Our bodies are designed to move, and all those ordinary opportunities to get up, walk around, bend, reach and carry things are worth taking.
I have also become much more aware of how different types of movement serve different purposes. Walking is wonderful for getting my body moving and clearing my head. Hiking challenges my fitness and gives me the enormous satisfaction of reaching the top of the Protea Trail and looking out over False Bay. Strength training helps me maintain and build the muscle I know I need as I get older. A treadmill session can help improve my cardiovascular fitness, while a few simple balance exercises can remind me that staying steady on my feet is important too.
I no longer feel the need to make one form of exercise compete with another. They all have their place, and I think that is one of the most freeing things I have learned.
Give Me a Mountain, But Not Every Day
I have to admit that I love getting outside. Whenever I can swap a treadmill for a walking trail or a hike, I am usually very happy. There is something wonderful about being outdoors, seeing the landscape around me and feeling my body working as I walk uphill. There is something incredibly satisfying about reaching the top and knowing that I got myself there. But here is the important part: I do not need to conquer a mountain every day. Some days I might go for a proper hike. Other days I might walk along the beach, spend time on the treadmill, do a strength session or simply make sure I am not sitting at my desk for hours without getting up.
Being active does not mean constantly pushing yourself beyond your limits. Sometimes it means knowing when to challenge yourself and when to give your body a little recovery time. I think this becomes particularly important as we get older. Recovery is part of the process too.
The Real Goal Is Freedom
As we move through our fifties and beyond, I think the reason we exercise begins to change. It becomes much less about trying to burn off something we ate and much more about protecting the life we want to live.
I want to carry my own shopping bags. I want to climb a flight of stairs without stopping halfway. I want to get down onto the floor and, more importantly, be able to get back up again. I want to walk up a steep trail and know that my legs are strong enough to take me there. I want to keep hiking, travelling, exploring and doing ordinary things without constantly wondering whether my body is capable of managing them.
That is the real reward of exercise for me. It gives me freedom. It gives me confidence in my body. It gives me energy. And perhaps most surprisingly of all, it makes me happy.
Consistency Beats the Perfect Workout
I am also learning to let go of the idea that every day needs to be an impressive fitness day. Some days a challenging workout is exactly what I want. Other days, a walk along the beach is exactly what I need. And sometimes the smartest thing I can do is rest.
The important thing is that movement remains part of my life rather than something I have to start all over again every Monday morning.
We all need to find forms of movement that we enjoy enough to keep doing. If that happens to be running, wonderful. If it is dancing in the kitchen, walking the dog, swimming, cycling, gardening, hiking, strength training or taking a long walk while listening to music, even better. The best kind of movement is the kind that fits into your life and makes you want to do it again tomorrow.
And I think that is the difference. When exercise becomes something you dread, it is easy to see it as another obligation. But when you discover something that makes you feel stronger, happier and more alive, it starts to become something you look forward to.
Playing the Long Game
I do not need to prove that I can exhaust myself. I need to prove that I can keep showing up. That might mean a challenging hike one day, strength training the next, a gentle walk after that and perhaps a well-earned rest day when my body asks for one. None of those days has to compete with the others. They are all part of the same bigger picture: staying strong, mobile, independent and able to enjoy the life I have.
And perhaps that is what redefining movement really means. It is not about conquering a mountain every day. It is about building a body that makes you feel as though you could.
🌿 Continue Your Journey
If this blog resonated with you, here are three more stories you might enjoy:
I started thinking differently about exercise when I realised I no longer wanted to train simply to become smaller. I wanted to become stronger, more capable and more alive.
What happens when you stop chasing smaller and start building strength? Follow my four-month experiment as I discover what my body can still do at 61.
Changing how we think about our bodies can be harder than changing what we do. This is the story of unlearning decades of messages about being smaller, thinner and younger.
So, I would love to know how you feel about exercise these days. Did you also reach a point where you stopped seeing exercise simply as something you had to do and started noticing how much better you felt afterwards? Perhaps you have discovered a form of movement you genuinely enjoy, or maybe you are still trying to find something that makes you want to get moving. What makes you feel good after you exercise? I would genuinely love to know.
— Frannie ☕
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