Should you exercise today?

I have conversations with friends or coworkers frequently about exercise. It seems the norm these days is to force yourself to exercise, regardless of how you actually feel. I’ve found that to be problematic 1) because it increases your chance of injury, 2) it contributes to feelings of shame/guilt if the exercise isn’t done and 3) perpetuates the already over-exaggerated importance of the size of our body over our entire physical, mental and spiritual health.

As with basically every nutrition recommendation ever, I’d like to add that there’s always more nuance than I can talk about in a short blog post. If you have specific recommendations from your dietitian, doctor or therapist, please listen to them instead of me.

For the circle that asks “will it improve your well-being?” after you’ve expressed that you don’t actually want to exercise — I have found that sometimes what’s best for us is not always listening to what we think we want. For example, if I’ve been inside all day and haven’t moved at all, I may not feel like moving, but some fresh air and walking may be helpful for me. On the other hand, if I genuinely don’t want to exercise and think reading a book or calling a friend will be better for my well-being, that’s probably the better option.

There’s never a black and white answer to these things, and you know better than anyone what’s best for your body. Hopefully this graphic is helpful on those days you aren’t sure you can trust yourself. (Hint: you can.)