Build a Movement Routine You’ll Actually Stick With
Every year, there are events that have us stopping and starting our fitness routines, New Years, birthdays, health scares, and even seasons are usually the top reasons. These inconsistencies in how our routines are normal, life, if anything, is a wild card. Often, we feel shame for “falling off” or being busy and putting it to the wayside, but movement isn’t about willpower or motivation; it’s about design.
Most Movement Routines Aren’t Built to Last
When we’re thinking of what our next fitness goal may be, we generally have a habit of aiming a little too high. Unfortunately, the fitness industry knows this and feeds off it.
Programs will be designed to go too intense and too fast for the average person to keep up. Most beginners will get “left behind” after week 1 without a second thought. Bootcamps will focus on aesthetics over function, and none of these are designed for normal bodies with schedules that they don’t always have control over. Even commercial gyms rely on non-active members to be oversubscribed, as in members who don’t attend subsidizing their regular members.
The Garden is Made to be Different
When I was imagining how The Garden would look, I wanted it to be a place where I could feel comfortable moving in at my own pace as a plus-size person who had a schedule that was a bit all over the place.
I wanted it to be an on-demand format so there’s no pressure to show up live (except when you want to with our monthly live Botanical Bend class). Classes varied in length, with some as short as 5 minutes, so no one feels like they need to set aside a full hour of their day for movement. And I wanted to categorize these classes that met real-life needs, like “Energy Break”, “Sleep Tight”, or “Pain Points”.
The Garden is about going at a pace that feels right for you, so you can pause, repeat, or take a week off without that “falling behind” feeling. There are no limitations, no judgment or intimidation that comes with traditional programs and fitness spaces.
It’s Designed for You
The main problem I have with fitness spaces is how they ignore, or shame, bodies that are larger, disabled, or even low-energy. It only made sense to have The Garden centering joyful movement, variations for stiffness, fatigue, and chronic pain, all while offering a pace that honors your nervous system. There’s no diet talk, no shaming, just creating a meaningful practice where we can focus on and discover how our bodies feel – not look.
How The Garden Supports Consistency Without Perfection
As I created The Garden and refined it in its first year, I wanted to do what I could to help students stay consistent. I know firsthand how easy it is to get distracted by other calls in life and potentially never return.
Every week, I send out an email I endearingly call The Garden Report to not only remind those in The Garden to get moving, but also to check in on themselves and their progress in their fitness journey and mindset. I also have quarterly workshops included in The Garden to help re-energize our focus: the last workshop was on trigger points, and how to use myofascial release tools!
And recently, I launched Pathways. These are specific exercise plans that are small and gradual for up to 12 weeks, where you can learn the exact form of stretches, how to best adapt them to your body, and hone in on your mind-body awareness to get the most out of your flexibility practice.
This is all about celebrating progress without pressure or perfection. It’s about showing up and moving because even if it’s not at your best, it’s still a success.
A Movement Routine That Works For People Just Like You
While many people call those who sign up for these spaces “users” or “clients”, I prefer to call my students Gardeners, as they cultivate a movement practice that best fits their lives. Over the time running The Garden, I’ve had many of them reach out to me just to let me know what they’ve been doing:
I have been stretching every day – even just one stretch – it has made such a difference in how my body moves and feels. Sometimes I don’t even notice that I feel better until I realize I don’t have that particular soreness.
I’ve gotten reminders of the importance of movement for our mental health:
I just wanted to thank you so, so much … life got in the way, and these days mental health makes it hard to follow through on plans. Instead, my brain is like, “ok, you have energy and motivation now but it’ll be gone in 10 minutes”. The Garden has helped me kindly, gently show my body care and love when that feat feels nearly impossible.
And even appreciation for showing up as I am to show people that fitness doesn’t have one look:
I have a pretty good knowledge of different stretches but it’s great to follow along with someone to hold me accountable to form and timing. So inclusive for all bodies and abilities with plenty of options given. The instructor has a body like mine and it makes me feel so much safer and more included.
A Movement Routine That Fits You Starts Here
When you’re joining a fitness space, remember it’s not meant to overhaul your life. It’s about being in a space that meets you where you are. And The Garden can be that space for you.
Meet Vera
Certified personal trainer, flexibility coach, fascial stretch therapist and passionate gardener based in Toronto, Canada.
Vera is on a mission to help people feel their best through flexibility training, in a way that feels good for them, and without all that toxic fitness talk.
Learn more about Vera – and how she can help!
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