What Happens When the Movement You Love Starts to Feel Like a Test?
I’ve just come back from a week of hiking in the mountains. For six days straight, we tackled long, steep trails—beautiful, challenging, and honestly, a little brutal at times.
Hiking is my favorite kind of movement. It usually grounds me, brings me peace, and makes me feel more like myself. But something shifted on this trip. Somewhere along the way, I noticed that joy was being replaced by pressure.
I was taking more breaks than usual. My legs were burning. My breath was short. And quietly, the “shoulds” crept in:
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I should be fitter than this.
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I should be able to keep up.
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I shouldn’t need to rest so much.
That’s when I realized: I wasn’t moving for joy anymore. I was moving to prove something.
When Joyful Movement Becomes Exercise Burnout in Disguise
Joyful movement doesn’t mean everything is light, breezy, or effortless. Sometimes joy comes after the hard work—on the other side of the challenge. But the difference lies in why we’re moving.
Movement that supports your well-being might be tough at times, but it’s chosen. It’s aligned with care. Movement that’s driven by shame, fear, or performance is something else entirely.
This shift is often subtle. We start out hiking, dancing, or training because we love it. But slowly, external messages creep in. Expectations. Comparisons. “Shoulds.” And all of a sudden, what started as connection turns into a test.
Fitness Goals Aren’t the Problem—But Pressure Is
I want to be clear: fitness goals are not the issue. I have them too. There are trails I want to hike. Places I want to go. I want the capacity to move through the world with strength and confidence.
Goals can be beautiful when they come from a place of true desire. But they can also quietly morph into something heavier. A source of stress. A measure of adequacy. A place where we start asking, “Why am I not there yet?”
The key question becomes:
Do these goals energize me—or do they make me feel like I’m not enough right now?
Rest Isn’t Weakness—It’s Wisdom
One of the biggest lies we’ve been taught is that success only counts if it comes through suffering. That rest is weakness. That stopping before the summit means you’ve failed.
But what if listening to your body is actually the strongest thing you can do?
On one of the hardest hikes this week, I had to pause and really ask: Am I still doing this for the joy of the view? Or am I trying to prove something to someone—maybe even just to myself?
The truth is, I finished that hike. But I made that decision after checking in—not out of obligation, but out of choice. And that’s the difference I’m always trying to stay connected to.
Signs You May Have Crossed the Line from Joy to Obligation
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You feel guilty when you skip a workout
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You push through pain, exhaustion, or dread
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You measure your worth based on how much you’ve moved
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You struggle to rest without feeling like you’ve “fallen behind”
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. These messages are deeply rooted in diet culture—and they can show up even in movement we want to love.
Questions to Reflect On
If you’re noticing pressure creeping into your movement practice, here are a few questions to explore:
Am I moving because I want to—or because I feel like I should?
Do my goals feel exciting or exhausting?
Would I still do this if no one saw or praised me for it?
Is this movement bringing me closer to my body—or pushing me away?
Final Thoughts
Joyful movement isn’t about perfection. It’s not about always feeling motivated or never facing a hard moment. It’s about choosing movement as an act of care—not an act of control.
Whether your movement looks like hiking, dancing, stretching, or resting altogether, the most important thing is that it feels like something you want—not something you owe.
Thanks for being here and for being in this conversation with me.
