Lagom & Movement
- Carissa Floyd
- Oct 26, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 2, 2020
The term hygge has had some popularity recently. It's a Danish and Norwegian term that is associated with the feeling of cosiness and is integrated into their culture. We could learn a lot about self-care and cosy practices! Looking a little further into hygge may lead you to another up and coming term called Lagom. This is a Swedish word meaning "Just the right amount". It's about finding the sweet spot in between too little and too much.
As soon as I read this I thought about my philosophy on movement and felt that Lagom may summarize it in one word!
My personal movement practice is not based on a goal of fatigue, of exerting, of pushing myself to physical limits or on intensity. It's also not based on avoidance or feeling static or stuck. It's about ease of movement, and efficiency. I want to feel a muscle just enough. Enough to let it do its job and not soomuch that I can't walk down the stairs the next day. I want to stretch just enough. Enough to move around life efficiently but not so much that my already hypermobile joints dislocated. I want to move just enough. Enough that my body feels good and energized, not so much that it feels depleted or beat up, or so little that it feels stiff and achy.
Pilates works your body in balance. It's weird when you first start Pilates to let go of the expectation that for "exercise" to be effective you must be sore the next day, sweating the whole time, or in agony for an hour. It's weird to let go of the belief that exercise is supposed to hurt. But once you can get past those mental hurdles you may find a sense of joy as you find the Lagom of fitness.
Cautions on finding a Lagom way of moving...
1. You may start to feel great!
You may discover a way of movement that feels nourishing, that feels like taking care of your body, that feels functional, safe and sustainable. You may even find yourself looking forward to your next session! Not because of how many calories you are going to burn but because of how amazing you know you will feel afterwards!
2. Your relationship with exercise might start to change.
You may actually enjoy the session itself and have fun moving your body in new ways, deeper ways, and less stressful ways! Your relationship with exercise may begin to change. It may become less about a number, about punishment or doing what you feel you have to do to take care of your body and more about moving in ways that actually feel good, and that you can stick to!
3. Your relationship with your body might start to change.
You may start to learn that some days your body wants a challenge, some days it wants gentle movement, and some days it wants to be supported. You may start to give it what it needs when it asks, instead of giving it what social media tells you it needs. You may start to appreciate your body for all that it can do, how efficiently it can move and how good that can feel. You may develop extreme confidence in your body and your awareness of what it needs and how to move
4. You may develop movement sustainability
Sustainability is becoming more and more important in so many areas of our lives, but we often neglect this concept when we think about our fitness. We are quick to jump back and forth from the couch to an intense fitness regimen, and back to the couch again when we either can't keep that routine up or get injured or both. Sustainable movement is more about how you want to move around in life, how you want to feel throughout your day and the relationship you have with movement and your body than about achieving a certain aesthetic or burning x amount of calories. I'm going to make a bold claim that those who find Lagom in their fitness are may be more likely to be consistent in their movement sessions. And from what I've seen, consistently showing up for yourself in ways that make you feel amazing trumps sporadic sessions with high intensity.
Ready to book a session and find your movement Lagom?
You can book Pilates Reformer Sessions at our New Braunfels, TX location, or virtual Private Pilates sessions all online, here.
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