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Writer's pictureCaroline Dunne

A New Perspective on Exercise

Updated: Jun 28, 2022

This week I want to give you some questions that might help you see working out in a bit of a new light.


Forget militant exercise: the shoulds and shouldn’ts. Whether you're a long term exerciser and need a shake up, or you're struggling to get started: I challenge you to shift your focus to how it feels to move your body, rather than the calorie-burning effect of exercise. Focus on how you feel from working out, such as energized, strong, like a superhero etc!


1. How are you currently defining ‘exercise’? What has it meant to you in the past? Write down 5-10 words that you associate, or have in the past, with exercise.


2. What words would you like to associate with exercise, working out and moving your body? Reflect on 5-10 words that represent this.


3. What gets in your way? With a bit of reflection and awareness, you can work out which are the unhelpful stories in your mind and which are the real reasons that get in the way of movement feeling good.


One example of re-framing the story in your head is this:


Instead of: you're too tired and don't have the time


"Resting and relaxing in the evening is my priority so I'm going to move first thing in the morning. I don't have time to get to the gym and back, plus I need the money for my rent right now, so I'm going to get a quick 10-20 minutes done at home before breakfast in my living room. Done is better than perfect."


This re-framing is powerful. Your challenge might not be tiredness/time, so identify what your challenge is.


4. Do you have any small or big goals or ideas around your movement going forwards? This month and in the next 6 months?


Remember, one way to set goals is using DUMB:


Dream-driven: in your wildest dreams and ideal scenarios, what does life look, feel,

move like etc. Who is it with? What is each part of your day like? How do you feel?

What do you do? How do you move? What’s your relationship to your body and

food like? etc.


Uplifting: what inspires and excites you? What lights you up inside? What drives you

forward positively?


Measurable: can we measure progress in any way?


Behaviour-driven: what behaviours are the small steps to the long-term success or

dream? What does a morning, afternoon or evening look like of someone who is

‘pre-’ e.g. if the dream is to be rich, what are the behaviours and actions look like

right now of someone who is ‘pre-rich’?


Let me know what sparked with you today - and what are some of your DUMB goals?


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