Emma Josephine

Movement is a key aspect of our everyday life. Whether you like to walk, stretch, dance, hike, or another type of exercise — they all have numerous benefits for the mind, body, and soul, like:

Flooding your body with feel-good endorphins
Giving you strength and definition
Allowing you to feel more in tune with your body, so you can give it exactly the type of movement it needs day to day
Giving you immense amounts of energy! I am always re-energized and feel even better at the end of a workout than I did at the beginning
Acting as a form of self expression and creativity, as well as providing emotional and energetic release

If you’re completely new to exercise or aren’t sure how to begin your workout routine, I have you covered. Here’s how to start:

Focus on how you feel rather than how you look

You guys, this is life changing! Determining how a workout makes you feel will help you decide whether it’ll be a sustainable part of your routine. There’s nothing wrong with working towards certain aesthetic goals, but I encourage you to not make it your main motivation, because it’s not a strong enough reason in the long term.

Rethink traditional workouts

When you picture working out, most people think of doing bicep curls in the gym, feeling out of breath doing crunches, and running for miles on the pavement. We’ve truly become so accustomed to exhausting and depleting our bodies. As a former ballet dancer, I found that for me, doing high intensity workouts and any type of weights just didn’t feel natural for my body.

In her book Ballet For Life, NYCB ballerina Mary Helen Bowers eloquently explains why these workouts aren’t ideal. She says, “I found the energy behind many of these programs too aggressive, too harsh, and worked the wrong muscles for a ballerina,” adding that, “A great workout should empower you to look and feel your best, to train harder and stretch farther every day. It shouldn’t be a punishment, and should never feel like a chore.”

What’s more, I learned from my favorite blogger Lauryn Evarts that these workouts activate the stress hormone and spike your cortisol, which is not what we want. So, if you’re like me and never liked these workouts anyways, this is amazing news! I knew I wanted a program that would decrease inflammation and cortisol, give me strength and beautifully sculpted muscles, and that made me feel good.

Now, let me tell you about the revolutionary method that is P.volve. I’ve been an avid practitioner of this method for years, and could basically write a love letter about it, that's how passionate I am! It’s also beloved by Lauryn Evarts, Romee Strijd, Devon Windsor, Nadine Leopold, and Blanca Padilla, among other bombshells. Let me give you the reasons why it’s my favorite workout.

P.volve is a functional fitness method that helps your body move how it’s meant to. They have precise, elongating movements that work to tone all of those little muscles deep in your core, your inner thighs, and your butt. It accentuates the beautiful natural curves we have as women (guys can do it, too, though!) without straining or overdeveloping the body. They also have a variety of classes based on intensity, difficulty, and equipment (their p.ball is life changing!!) so you can really customize it based on however you’re feeling. No matter which type of workout I do, my muscles feel engaged, my body is opened up, and I always feel so energized after my workout.

I found that my body began to crave these dynamic and lengthening movements, as opposed to beating my body up with running, burpees, and squats. I feel so much better doing this form of low impact, functional exercise, rather than workouts that feel like you’re punishing your body.

I started doing P.volve, light barre work, gentle yoga flows, and walking exclusively, and feel amazing. If you couldn’t tell already, P.volve has changed my life, and I really think it’s the workout that everyone needs.

Don't forget stretching

Even as a former ballet dancer, I admit that I’m sometimes guilty of forgoing a cool down stretch and just jumping straight into the shower to continue with the rest of my day. But, the importance of stretching can’t be neglected. I like to hit the main muscles with leg stretches (like a quad stretch, splits, and pigeon), downward dog, and child’s pose to cool down. If I’m doing a separate stretch session, I’ll add in foam rolling and some more targeted stretches to release any tension and alleviate soreness.

Make it a part of your schedule

With such busy and ever-changing schedules, it can be difficult to fit in a consistent routine every day. I’m lucky enough to work from home most days, so I can usually fit in a morning workout as a welcome break in my workday. If I have a commitment in the morning, though, I will have to change it to an afternoon workout, or modify or shorten it in some way. It could be very easy for me to just skip my workout (and I’m not perfect, I do feel tempted to sometimes if I’m feeling particularly lazy!) However, it’s important to note that a little bit of movement is always better than nothing. So, even if 20 minutes of stretching and a few workout moves is all you can do, but you do it every day, that’s progress! I encourage you to value that consistency over intensity, difficulty, or complexity because that will create the habit and it will soon become a natural and enjoyable part of your routine. For me, it’s a time to tune out distractions, listen to music, give my mind a rest, and connect with my body. (So much so, my family knows to not disturb me when I’m on my mat lol!)

When in doubt, just walk

If you’re ever overwhelmed, tired, or just want something simple, just go for a walk! There’s something so relaxing about going for a walk and listening to a podcast. And yes, walking most certainly counts as a workout!

Cute clothes

Okay, I guess this isn’t *completely* necessary, but if you need that extra boost of motivation to want to exercise, this tip is for you! I personally think that cute workout clothes do make a difference because you’ll want to wear them. My top picks are from LuluLemon, Alo, and Girlfriend Collective.

Thank you for reading, I hope this post helps you on your journey of feeling your best!