Would you still exercise if you knew for certain it wouldn't change how you look?

In this episode, we're talking about what sits underneath the things you do for your health, and how diet culture taught us to read a changing body as proof that exercise is working. We get into functional fitness, exercise for longevity, body neutrality, and what a healthy relationship with food looks like once appearance stops being the scoreboard.

Tara makes the case for a different goal, Elizabeth takes on the false story we've been told about control, and Maria brings the frame she uses as a therapist to sort which habits are worth your time.

This conversation touches on:

• Why exercise gets treated as visible proof, and what that does to your body image
• What functional fitness looks like when the goal is balance, strength, and getting off the floor
• The all or nothing thinking trap that shows up when one goal doesn't land
• How Maria's protective factors vs risk factors frame decides which habits make the list
• Why non scale victories are the evidence most of us were never taught to count
• What Tara means by a weight neutral approach, and what it doesn't mean
• How exercise benefits mental health, strength, and endurance whether or not your body changes
• Why joyful movement still counts when your body looks similar a year from now

If you've ever wondered whether you'd keep going without the promise of a different body, this conversation gives you a better question to ask and a wider set of markers to answer it with.

Let’s rebrand wellness together! Elizabeth, Tara & Maria

Connect with us!

Experience Wellness Rebranded in real life! Join Elizabeth, Maria, and Tara on October 3rd for Inhale, a one-day fall retreat with movement, nature walks, nourishing food, and conversations that go deeper. Reserve your spot here.

The Ultimate Self Care Planner: https://elizabethharrisnutrition.ck.page/9e817ab37e

Elizabeth Harris, MS, RDN, LDN Facebook/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ElizabethHarrisNutrition Take the free quiz, What Type of Eater Are You?: https://elizabethharrisnutrition.com/quiz

Join The Nourished Table, Elizabeth's monthly recipe club, for $20 a month: https://elizabethharrisnutrition.com/recipe-club

Tara De Leon, Master Personal Trainer Email: FitnessTrainer19@hotmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tara_de_leon_fitness Join Tara’s Newsletter: www.taradeleonfitness.com/connect

If you're in the Annapolis area, follow Everybody Strong Annapolis for studio updates, class openings, and details on the grand opening free workout: https://www.instagram.com/everybodystrongannapolis/

Maria Winters, LCPC, NCC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coaching_therapist/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/MWcoachingtherapy Website: www.thecoachingtherapist.com

Episodes Mentioned

If this conversation landed, go back and listen to episode 188, What Your 80 Year Old Self Wishes You'd Start Doing Today: Intentional Aging, Physical Activity, and Social Connection. It picks up right where this one leaves off, and it's one our listeners keep coming back to.

If you want to start a podcast or grow your existing one, visit julianabarbati.com and let them know we sent you!