For most of my life (and probably your’s too), we’ve been taught that the number one benefit of exercise is to change the way that your body looks. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Moving your body has so many positive impacts on your overall physical and mental health that have absolutely nothing to do with your appearance.

Once you start seeing weight loss (or gain) as a side-effect rather than the main goal, you can start to really appreciate all the other amazing benefits of exercise. Exercise will:

• Improve your mood and mental health

• Boost your confidence and self-esteem

• Lower your stress levels

The revelation that exercise doesn’t exist solely to burn off calories was revolutionary for me when I started training in the gym. Now I think of food and exercise as tools that exist to help you nourish, inspire, and care for your body. Food is just food, and movement is just movement. Separating them from each other can bring so much more joy into both aspects of a happy and balanced life.

We often take our ability to move for granted – but movement really is an amazing gift.

Every time you move, it should feel like a celebration of all of the things that you can do, not a punishment, chore, or hassle. Practice gratitude with every step. When you start viewing exercise as a privilege instead of a burden, it starts to feel a whole lot more special.

If you’ve ever followed a workout routine in the past, you might be used to ways of measuring your progress that focus on how you look or how much you weigh. Being so obsessed with numbers means that you lose sight of all the other ways that exercise can improve your life. Instead, try to measure your progress by noticing:

• How do you feel when you exercise? How does exercise impact the rest of my day?

• How has you mood changed?

• Do you feel healthy, strong, and empowered?