You can’t spell exercise without Rx? (hear me out…)

someone give me kudos for how clever that subject line was plz

Something that I’ve noticed throughout my career in health: many people have a complicated relationship with exercise. (And I’ve been there!)

Another thing that I’ve noticed: many people take their medicine prescriptions really seriously (which they absolutely should!)

..but yet they take the more abstract aspects of health— like nutrition, sleep, hydration, etc.— less seriously and are subsequently less regimented about them.

and, to be honest, I totally understand that. I get it! Medications are a serious thing, can be incredibly helpful, and should be taken responsibly as prescribed.

But what if…

You challenged yourself to bring a similar mindset to your exercise? 

Let’s play with this thought experiment together—

If you could write yourself a prescription for exercise what would it be?

You could start by making it broad like, “I’m prescribed 45 minutes of movement 5 days a week” or “I’m prescribed 30 minutes of strength training 3 days a week.” That way on those movement days you could switch up what your movement or form of strength training is, but you’re still setting the intention that movement is your prescription for the week. 

Or if you’re someone who really knows the type of exercise you want to do, or if you thrive on more structure, you could get more specific ⬇️

When I was in nursing school, we learned that there are some crucial parts to writing every prescription. For example, the name of the drug, the dose, the route, and the frequency. So how do we apply that to exercise? 

• 🏃🏻‍♀️TYPE: This would be the type of movement you’re going to practice. A walk, a kickboxing class, yoga, stretching, strength training, or just “movement” in general if you want to be more broad! 

• ⏰DOSE: This is the duration of your exercise. 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 20 minutes…try not to adopt an all or nothing mindset here. 15 minutes of exercise is better than zero! 

• 🏋🏻‍♀️ROUTE: The “where” of it all. At home, at the gym, at a fitness studio, walking in your neighborhood…where are you going to show up for yourself? 

• 📆FREQUENCY: And finally, how many days a week do you want to complete your movement practice?

So using the above combo of Name + Dose + Route + Frequency, you can design your own unique exercise “prescription” to fit your lifestyle and movement goals.

• Yoga for 25 minutes at home 3 times per week

• Walking for an hour in my neighborhood 5 times per week

• Strength training for 45 minutes at the gym twice a week

• Kickboxing class for 50 minutes at the studio once a week

As you can see, the options are virtually endless!

But the real point I’m trying to make here is that when you write yourself a “prescription” for exercise, try to take it seriously like you would a typical prescription.

✨Please note: I am definitely NOT saying that exercise is magical cure-all and that you should exercise *instead of* taking your medications. No, no, no. I am just saying to experiment with approaching exercise in a more tailored, prescribed way to see if that helps your mindset.✨

Because here’s the thing— typically, when you get a new Rx, you take it seriously. You follow up on it. You go through the process of it. And I believe thinking about exercise in this way can take movement from a vague place to a more concrete, tangible place.

Now, there’s one final step: sticking with it.

I know— it sounds so simple in theory, but yet forming an exercise habit can be so dang difficult.

But! I’ve found the mindset shift below can help patients stay consistent: viewing your exercise results like a prescription. Let me set the stage—

Many health coaching clients or patients would exercise once or twice or begin introducing a healthy exercise habit and say “oh, that workout didn’t work for me” or “I was sore” or “I didn’t like it.”

…But you wouldn’t expect a pill or medication to immediately solve your problem after one attempt would you? Often with medications you’re taking it for weeks before you notice a difference; it takes time and consistency before you start noticing the positive shifts. 

And it’s similar with exercise!

If you start and you don’t IMMEDIATELY feel different or you have low energy or feel sore, don’t let that discourage you and stick to your prescription. ;) Give it a bit of time!

What do you think? I hope this post inspired you to design your own movement Rx, try it for at least a few weeks, and simply be curious how you feel! Give your body and your mind a moment to adjust. All good things in life take consistency, so I challenge you this week to write a prescription for your exercise, really stick to it, and see how it goes. 

You’ve got this!

PS: Are you going to write yourself an exercise “prescription” this week? I’d love to hear how you’re designing yours! I think my personal one will be doing at least 15 minutes of strength 4x this week at home – what’s yours?

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK*: One of my best kept beauty secrets: collagen. Is it as glamorous as a fancy face mask? No, but it IS internally impactful in skin, hair, and nail health! Collagen is unique protein that is incredibly helpful in terms of connective tissue (think elasticity and flexibility). This is particularly beneficial for practical things like your joints and gut health, but also for the fun things like having youthful + plump skin, fast-growing hair, and long + strong nails. I take a scoop of this mix and froth it in my coffee every morning— easy, peasy! I truly believe skin and hair health starts from the inside-out, and I love collagen for this ◡̈

SONG OF THE WEEK: Is this a new, groundbreaking song? No. But is it forever one of my favorite, feel good songs? Yes. “This Feeling” by Alabama Shakes, mmmmmm.

JOURNAL PROMPT OF THE WEEK: “What is my relationship with exercise like in this life stage? What’s going well? What’s not?”