Finding Joy in Movement — Part 1

Movement vs. exercise (why language matters)

Jul 02, 2025

Photo credit: Courtney Brice Photography

I can’t wait to dive into this 4-part series. But first, let’s name something.

Summer — the season when this is being published (in case you’re finding it at another time) — is a time many folks struggle to maintain their physical activity routines. I’ve heard it countless times as a Personal Trainer and Health Coach (my 25-year career before becoming a Registered Clinical Counsellor).

It usually sounded something like this…

“I just can’t seem to stay on track with my exercise in the summer!”

“Between vacations and extra summer social commitments, I find getting to the gym tricky.”

And, of course, the very common…

“I’ll get back on track in the fall.”

Here’s the thing: there’s absolutely nothing wrong with shifting routines seasonally. Life ebbs and flows. But I want to offer a different lens — one where there is no “track” to fall off or get back onto. One where movement is not a performance or punishment, but a genuine source of joy and pleasure.

And summer? It’s the perfect time to embrace it.

Why summer is the perfect season to reclaim joyful movement

Summer has a way of stirring things up—both in our environment and in our inner world.

Longer days, looser routines, and more time outside can open space for new rhythms. But for many people, summer also brings a spike in old narratives about our bodies and how we “should” be moving them.

We’re flooded with messages about “summer bodies,” “getting back on track,” and “earning” rest, beach days, or indulgences. Even well-meaning wellness advice often masks the same tired ideals: shrink, sculpt, control.

But what if this season didn’t have to be another round of that inner tug-of-war?

What if summer could instead be an opportunity—a permission slip—to shift the pace, soften the rules, and reconnect with a question that diet and fitness culture rarely asks:

“How do I want to feel in my body?”

That’s the invitation at the heart of this series.

To release rigid definitions of exercise, challenge the internalized expectations of what counts as “real movement,” and instead rediscover the kind of movement that feels like freedom.

Whether you're walking in the woods, dancing barefoot in your kitchen, swimming in a lake, or simply stretching with the sun on your face—movement can be a way back home to yourself (because movement is a beautiful way to re-connect with yourself and your body as we discussed in the series on embodiment).

In this 5-part series, I’ll guide you through ideas, concepts, and reflections to help reframe movement as an act of care rather than control. Because when we move from a place of joy and attunement, we not only support our physical health—we nurture our emotional, relational, and embodied wellbeing, too.

Let’s begin where all lasting change begins: with awareness.

Note: if you LOVE doing more formal exercise or “workouts” during the summer and find that routine joyful - onward in thriving! This article is really for the person who finds themselves hating or resenting that routine and on the struggle bus of guilt and shame instead of enjoying their summer. If this sounds like you (even some of the time, carry on reading!).

Part 1: Movement vs. Exercise — why language matters

As a personal trainer with a degree in kinesiology, I’ve spent a lot of time in spaces where movement is measured in reps, calories, or visible results (ick, right?!). And while there’s value in structure and training for specific goals (fun!), I’ve seen how the language we use around movement—especially the word exercise—can turn something nourishing into something heavy that we avoid (not fun).

For many of us, exercise carries a load of emotional weight. It’s tangled up with guilt, discipline, and expectations. It often feels like something we should do, rather than something we want to do.

But here’s something I often remind my clients (and myself): you don’t need to “exercise” to support your health—you need to move.

Physical Activity vs. Exercise: What’s the Difference?

In the field of kinesiology, we differentiate between:

Physical activity — any body movement that uses energy. This includes activities of daily living like taking the stairs, walking (anywhere), gardening, vacuuming, dancing, or stretching (you get the idea).
Exercise — a more structured form of physical activity, typically performed with the intention of improving fitness (e.g., strength training, running, following a workout program).

Here’s the important part: both support health.

In fact, Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommend:

At least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity, plus muscle-strengthening activities at least twice per week, along with regular light movement and adequate sleep (CSEP, 2020).

And before you freak out about the words “moderate to vigorous” and “muscle strengthening,” please read on to see what we really mean by this (it’s not a directive to get to the gym for exercise — there are many ways to achieve this IRL).

That’s actually the beauty of these guidelines! They offer a holistic view of movement. They recognize that your health isn’t shaped only by workouts—but by how you move, rest, and live over a full day.

The 4 Movement Components (And Joyful Ways to Engage With Them):

1. Light Physical Activity
Gentle movement that helps break up sedentary time.

Joyful examples:

Strolling through your neighbourhood with your favourite playlist
Stretching while your coffee brews
Wandering through a forest trail or farmers’ market
Tidying your space with the windows open and music playing

2. Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity
Movement that increases your heart rate or breath.

Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes per week, but not necessarily all at once.

Joy-focused versions:

Dancing freely in your kitchen
Biking along the waterfront at your own pace
Swimming in a lake for pleasure, not performance
Taking a brisk walk with a friend or pet

3. Muscle-Strengthening Activities
Recommended at least 2 days per week to support bone and muscle health.

Accessible, empowering options:

Carrying your groceries and feeling your strength
Doing bodyweight movements to a playlist you love
Practicing yoga or Pilates with a focus on breath and fluidity
Playing (yes playing) with friends, kids or grandkids—lifting, balancing, climbing

4. Rest and Sleep
As I shared in my recent series on rest, movement and rest are partners, not opposites. Quality rest enhances your capacity to move well and feel well.

Restorative rhythms to savour:

Gentle evening stretches
Lying in the grass watching clouds drift by
Yoga nidra or guided body-based rest
Taking a nap without guilt

When we view movement through this expansive lens, we begin to notice:

Our bodies are already moving in meaningful, life-affirming ways—even when it doesn’t look like a “workout.”

And approaching movement this way? It supports these health benefits:

Reduced risk of chronic illness (heart disease, diabetes, cancer)
Improved cognitive function and mental health
Better sleep and mood regulation
Greater vitality and mobility in daily life

(Warburton & Bredin, 2017; WHO, 2020; Tremblay et al., 2020)

The bottom line:

You don’t need to perform, track, or push to “earn” your health.
You simply need to connect with what brings you energy, ease, and a sense of aliveness.

Joyful movement isn’t about doing more—it’s about relating differently to what you’re already doing, and expanding what counts.

BONUS: When it’s joyful, expanding often happens organically…with ease!

The core message when it comes to your health and well-being is this: all movement counts, you may be moving more than you know, and when you focus on joy, not only does this more embodied approach help you heal your relationship with movement, it often creates a movement snowball (ie. joyful movement inspires more joyful movement!).

Why We Default to Exercise—and Why It’s Not Always Helpful

We’ve been conditioned to equate movement with fitness goals, calorie burn, or body control. That narrative is so loud, it often drowns out the quieter truths of what movement can offer: joy, connection, emotional release, or grounding.

When we only value movement that feels like a workout, we:

Miss out on the many ways movement supports our emotional and relational wellbeing
Disconnect from the body’s cues in favour of rules
Feel like we’re “failing” if we’re not doing enough, consistently enough

This black-and-white thinking often leads to all-or-nothing cycles, where we either push hard or give up altogether—neither of which supports sustainable wellbeing.

What Happens When We Shift to “Movement”?

Changing the language we use from exercise to movement can be surprisingly powerful.

It gives us permission to:

Move in ways that feel good, not punishing
Honour our energy, life demands, and physical needs
Reconnect with the experience of being in our bodies, not just managing or fixing them

It might mean walking to the beach with a friend instead of going to the gym. Or dancing in your kitchen while making dinner. Or doing gentle stretches in the morning sun because your body craves softness.

These moments might not “count” in a fitness tracker, but they count deeply in your nervous system, in your sense of vitality, and in how you feel in your skin.

A Reflection to Close

This week, I invite you to get curious.

How does the word “exercise” land in your body?
What thoughts or feelings arise when you think, “I need to exercise”?
Now, swap that word for “movement.”
What shifts—emotionally, physically, mentally—when you think, “I want to move my body”?

We’ll build from here. In the next part of the series, we’ll explore how to listen to your body’s rhythm and reclaim a more intuitive, relational connection with movement—one rooted in care, not control.

Until then, may you find moments of movement that feel like joy.

Onward in thriving,

Gillian