What We Talk About in This Episode

In Episode 7 of the Joyful Health Show, we interview Revelation Wellness instructor and the Author of Good to Grow, Amanda Reynolds, about how to fit joyful movement into our already packed schedules.

Amanda shares her personal story of stress, illness, and burnout and how God met with her to show her how God’s grace is more broad than she could have imagined. In this episode we talk about some important mindset shifts to make movement a regular enjoyable part of your life, along with some practical tips for incorporating movement in your season of life.  

Connect with Amanda on instagram at @thewellway_amanda 

And order a copy of her book, Good to Grow on Amazon

In this episode we discuss:

• What happens when exercise feels like a chore

• Developing body gratitude for movement as praise and worship

• How movement can shift in different seasons of life

• Simple steps to get started with joyful movement right where you are

Resources Mentioned

1. Amanda’s book, Good to Grow: Embrace an Abundant Life in Your Good Body 

2. Joyful Movement Series: Join Kasey for a series of 5 full workout videos to guide you from fitness burnout to joyful movement with the Lord.

3. Joyful Movement Habits Worksheet: Want to make exercise habits that stick with you and work for you? Download these free sheets to get started.

Guest Bio

Amanda Reynolds

Amanda is a wife, mama to 2 spirited and sometimes spicy young girls, Jesus-follower, and Intuitive Eating enthusiast. She has over 20 years of experience in fitness and athletics, from a college athlete to a current fitness instructor. In between teaching fitness and Bible classes, Amanda has written her first book called Good to Grow. The book is for anyone longing to break free from diet culture, body shame, and food control in order to embrace the fruitful and abundant life offered through Jesus.

You can connect with Amanda on Instagram, or on her website here.

Episode Transcription

Introduction

Welcome. In this episode of The Joyful Health Show, we had the honor of interviewing Amanda Reynolds. She's a Revelation Wellness fitness instructor and the author of Good to Grow. And she talked about how to move and not dread it. We talked about some mindset shifts. We talked about some practical tips and some mindsets and habits to release to start moving for the joy of the Lord.

Hey, friends, welcome to The Joyful Health Show. I'm a registered dietitian and I'm Kasey, a personal trainer. And together we're here to help you discover joyful health by grace.

All right. Welcome to this week's episode of The Joyful Health Show. We are so excited. Kasey and I get to talk to Amanda Reynolds today. Welcome, Amanda. We are talking about one of the most common questions we get about joyful movement, which is how do I practically fit joyful movement into my already packed schedule without it becoming another half-to that I dread.

So we're so excited to have Amanda here to talk about that with us. 

Amanda

Yes, I'm super excited to be here!

Kasey

A little bit more about Amanda. Amanda, you are a wife. She's a mama to two spirited and sometimes spicy young girls, a Jesus follower. She's an intuitive eating enthusiast. She has over 20 years of experience and fitness and athletics from a college athlete to a fitness instructor.

And so in between teaching fitness and Bible classes, she's written her first book. Congratulations! It's called Good to Grow. This book is for anyone longing to break free from diet, culture, body shame and food control. In order to embrace the fruitful and abundant life offered through Jesus. 

So, Amanda, we have a lot to talk about, but why don't you go ahead and start sharing your story with us, particularly how it relates to movement, where your struggle was with movement or fitness, how you got started there, and then how God met you there and and what you do as a result?

Amanda

Yeah, I'd love to share it. So all the lessons I've kind of struggled with this tendency to feel the need to do more, to be better, to look better, I don't know if it's a little bit of any Enneagram one, but there's always the inner critic in me telling me to do more.

And so it really came to a peak when I was in my young twenties and always just striving to eat healthier. And I just kept reading all these scary articles about food ingredients and about how I needed to do this exercise or that exercise. And so I just fell down this rabbit hole of never feeling like I was doing enough.

And so I just kept doing more and more and more. And eventually and in my twenties, I started struggling with anxiety and depression. I had no idea how to deal with that. I thought you know, as a Christian, I should be able to pray this away or to exercise it away because, you know, they say exercise is so good for that.

And so I thought, well, if I just do more, I can get rid of this on my own. So I think, as we all know, like if you do more, sometimes it's just fuel to the fire and eventually my body let me know that enough was enough. And I was physically sick I had a kidney situation going on, and so I had a lot of inflammation.

And then doctors told me, they said, well, what you need to do is cut out all acidic food. So these were some of like my go-to like indulgences that I would often restrict but didn't binge and so it was like pizza, coffee, chocolate, Mexican food, like all the things I love. And so I got to a place where my health was kind of just falling apart.

I had to take away a lot of foods that I loved. And so I was at a place where I really just had to surrender to God. I can't say I laid down all these things on my own and they were actually taken away from me right like it's funny how we have to learn the lesson the hard way.

When Exercise Feels like a Chore

00:04:56:11 - 00:05:27:12
But I got to a place where I just realized something has to change with my health and my spiritual well-being. The eating and exercise, those aren't the most important things. I let God show me. There were so many other aspects that were part of wellness, like connecting with others and stress management and treatment for anxiety and depression and moving for joyfulness and not just out of obligation. Like my whole life that was just that. And I wouldn't say my whole life. In my childhood I definitely moved for fun, but once I became a teenager, I felt like movement was just a means to a better body or because I had to. It was such a chore. 

And over time, God just showed me that it was a gift and it wasn't always something I was guaranteed, like with my kidney stuff. I learned that my body's not always going to feel great. So when it does feel good and I can move, I need to take advantage of it and praise God with that and enjoy it. 

Aubrey

00:06:18:21 - 00:06:42:07

I just hear you saying that a movement was a chore. And that, I think, is something that so many people feel. And they, they are trying to get to that place as I get to or this is a gift, but they're so used to seeing it in light of how to change our body. As a fitness professional, can you talk a little bit about just what you've seen, you know, working with clients or what you've seen as far as people's relationship to movement and how it is it related?

Amanda

00:06:42:07 - 00:07:04:17

Like how it’s related to their body weight and their body size? Yeah. I feel like so much of it starts with the way we talk to our self about movement. Like so many people that have come to class will say things like,” Oh, I ate so much yesterday, I really need this workout class, or I'm going to be eating a lot.”

Or they apologize instantly, like, “Oh, I haven't worked out in three weeks. I'm going to be really out of shape.” Like, there's just so much pressure and negative energy around it. I feel like that's brought to classes a lot, and it's not. It's those people's fault. I mean, it's definitely culturally, it's just the message we've been given, I feel like towards movement.

Connecting to God and Your Body with Movement

Kasey

I hear you saying the words pressure, and I know you refer to your inner critic, so it sounds like you have that attitude as well towards fitness and movement. So what was like the turning point for you where you felt like, oh, I can release this now or or what does that look like for you?

Amanda

00:07:52:10 - 00:08:16:17

It was definitely a slow transformation and I wouldn't say like it happened overnight. And a lot of it was because I got to a place where I was just really broken and and my body didn't feel like moving. And so then once I did feel like moving, I realized, wow, like, I need to be appreciative for this.

This is a get to and, you know, it's not just about how it changes my body. It's about how it makes my mind feel. And it's about you know, connecting to my body and feeling alive and meeting God in there and finding that it can be a very worshipful experience to move. I mean, I feel like that does really shift your mindset when you have a season where you can't move.

Aubrey

I've talked to several people about an injury. I even know for me, like in pregnancy or with being a mom and it being harder to fit movement in, you really appreciate movement more when you get to do it. And when it feels good. So talk to the woman who has sort of always seen fitness as I have to.

Maybe she she's always she's never really found anything that she enjoys and she's kind of always done it. Like either she's over exercising or she's, you know, stressing out or she just hasn't even tried. What would you say to someone who's in that place is the first step?

Amanda

I think the first step is probably grace. Giving yourself the opportunity to receive grace from the Lord and knowing that what you do, those aren't going to save you.

Those aren't good in that God will love you any more. And so far as receiving that from the Lord. And then once you're filled up, the rest is just overflow. 

Kasey

Right. And so it's a it's definitely a place of surrender first and receiving and then overflowing. In order to receive, I think of like closed hands versus open hands.

So if we want to receive God's grace for movement and our life like physical movement, what do you think we need to let go of as far as the world's expectations with movement and fitness goes? And what does it look like to receive God's grace in the area? Of moving our bodies? 

Amanda

00:10:59:19 - 00:11:28:07

Yeah, that's a good question. I think first we need to let go of the idea that we have to move five or six times a week and it has to be extreme and it has to be and quick results and intense like there's the huge movement right now of CrossFit and all of these extreme workouts.

And I think sometimes we think if I'm not like sweating and working really hard, it doesn't count. And so I think we need to give ourselves the freedom to know that all movement counts, even if it's if you're in a place of life, like to respect the season that you're in. And I think that's something really hard. But if you only have 5 minutes to fit in a few squats or some jumping jacks like that might be all you can do that day.

Maybe you're taking care of little ones or elderly parents or you're working two jobs like you can only do what you can do. And I think accepting that and giving yourself credit for the everyday activities you already do, is something really important because that matters to you. 

Benefits of Joyful Movement

Aubrey

00:12:01:24 - 00:12:30:06

Yes. Letting go of those like this only counts if I feel like xyz, so much intensity, or number of times throughout the week, how long you exercise, all of those things come into your mind.

I know as an athlete and I know you said you were an athlete too, and there was like, for me as a college athlete, there are so many because I came from working out so intensely in college and and really hating part of it. So it was hard. Yeah, it's like that to to take away that mindset of exercise needs to be at least this amount of time and I need to be drenched in sweat to count was huge.

But I know like one of the things that really helped me is even just learning about the benefits and experiencing the benefits of any movement, sort of like what you're saying, even like a few jumping jacks. So can you talk to some of those benefits of just movement in general and that they don't have the benefit of any movement?

Amanda

00:12:52:10 - 00:13:19:16

And well, I found that even there's so many benefits of just resting and being still and clearing your mind and taking deep breaths. That can be just as therapeutic as an intense workout, right? Like there's just different times for different needs in different movements. And I've even read a lot of research.

I'm starting to get a little bit older, not yet in the forties, but I'm getting closer. And I've read research that as women age and get closer to the middle stage, that movement that reduces stress is really good for them. And because your hormones are going through a lot of changes and so taking a walk or a stroll is just really good for reducing stress.

So yeah, I think that daily activity movement to like they say that there's a lot of sedentary movement nowadays. A lot of us have office jobs. A lot of us sit at a desk a lot throughout the day. And so there's, there's tons of advantages to just walking around every hour or, and doing chores around the house or parking a little farther from the grocery store, just getting in that extra little lane. That adds that so much.

Adapting Movement to Your Season

Kasey

Can you give us a snippet of maybe a day or just something typical for you and your season of life right now? You have 3 girls, you work part time, and are a fitness instructor. What does movement look like for you? In the season now and maybe what did it look like for you before?

Just so that we can have some different snapshots of movement, doesn't have to look the same, you know, in every part of your life. So maybe what does movement look like for you now and how has that also shifted in different times of life? 

Amanda

00:14:55:04 - 00:15:14:22

And I would say now the girls are school age, so they go to school. Thankfully, right now they're in school and that's given me a lot more freedom. I work part time. And so I found that like right before they came home from school, I've got a little hour where I finish work and I can squeeze something in and please hear me. I do not work out for the whole hour. I do not do it every day.

So I squeeze it in when I can. And some days, to be honest, I don't have the time to do it. And so I might be cooking dinner and watching something on the stove and throwing in some squats at that point or doing some jumping jacks like it's or I've also found and this is this has been really eye opening for me as a mom that you know, the girls may want to go for a walk around the neighborhood or a bike ride or go outside and play sports.

And I've found that if I haven't worked out for the day, I'm more likely to go out there and play with them and get my movement. And because I still have the energy to do that and it's still so fruitful and it counts so much so. Yeah, that's what it looks like a lot. Now, I will say that when they were babies and babies, I didn't get to work out nearly as much.

And so it looked a lot different. And that prior to having been I would work out like five times a week and have 30 minutes to an hour to work out. But things are just so different now in this season. 

Aubrey

Yeah, I love that. But that's more like making me feel good because otherwise I would say like, I think the Lord revealed to me at one point or just like put on my heart to like just instead of trying to do everything when your kids are asleep or when they're out of the picture, how can you do things with them? Like how these things, these rhythms that are healthy for your life? Let's say movement is what we're talking about today. How can you incorporate your kids in that? And so, like you're saying, doing a family sport or even like we go we try to go on like a lunch walk before nap time.

And I take all the kids and the dog, right? Because it can be so frustrating as a young mom. Like, I remember when I was still sort of stuck in summer and my mindset about my body, I would get so mad if my child woke up early from their nap because I my workout was stolen from me and and I just think that grace that we give ourselves allows us to have these shared experiences with our kids when they're not they don't have to meet this certain standard. So I love that you're doing that with your older girls. 

Amanda

They're at that stage where they want to play starts. And then I, I don't know if y'all know that game, but it’s like tag. But if you're like if I do a quote “work out” because really movement is just such a broad term and more workouts, the way that we define them are just like a small subset of that.

Kasey

00:18:17:24 - 00:18:38:11

So it's like, well, what do you have energy for that gives you life and return, you know? What do you need? So like Aubrey was talking about when she was young mom. When I was young mom, I needed energy and alone time. And how can you be filled up and how can movement meet that need for you?

So have you noticed, like through your intuitive eating and movement journey, like joyful movement and journey, that you've found that different movements fit different needs for you or like how it gives you more energy for certain parts of your day versus like, fulfilling society's expectation of what a workout should be? 

Amanda

Yes, totally. I don't. I've also learned, like, when my body because I have that kidney issues, sometimes it will flare up and I've learned that my body doesn't need intense workouts at that stage.

It needs yoga, it needs stretching, it needs more raised. And the older I get, the more I'm realizing that so important to listen to because for years and I'm not going to lie and say I don't struggle with that, sometimes I still do. I'll, I'll push myself when I'm like, Ooh, I don't think my body's really feeling it.

And, and I've gotten hurt that way. Like, I've gotten injured and I've, you know, stress myself out, and it's just not worth that. Like, it's just not constructive. 

How to Start a Joyful Movement Habit

Aubrey

Yeah, yeah, I think it's such an awesome part of even intuitive eating is that you get more awareness of your body, whether you come at this from the joyful movement first or the intuitive eating first. When you get awareness of your body, then you're able to listen to those cues for all kinds of things, not just hunger and fullness, but what kind of movement do I need right now? As we're as we're kind of wrapping up, what are some really practical tips? We've already talked about a bunch, but what are some really practical ways if someone's just like, okay, I've rested, I've I've sort of made peace with movement.

I'm ready to start just moving my body a little bit more again, because sometimes we have to rest in order to make peace, and we have to take a break, but let's say we're ready to get back in it. What are some just a few quick tips to help them get movement to start that habit and just start back?

Amanda

00:20:48:19 - 00:21:15:11

Yeah. And first I would say start small. Don't don't put tons of expectations on yourself. And I would say consider your season and give yourself grace and partner with God and ask God, What do you want me to do in this season of life? And sometimes he can't be asking you to make your body more, maybe it's less.

And so really spending time thinking about God. What are your goals in this season of my life right now? What do you want me to do? And I'm surrendering to that. That I think that's the hard part, is surrendering and then just being obedient and, and doing what you can and not not looking to do it the left or the right at what somebody else is doing because that's, that's her lane.

That's, that's what she's been called to do. And so I think that's a really tough thing to do in this day and age. Especially when we have social media. But if somebody else is running a marathon, that doesn't mean that's what you need to be doing. And so I think focusing on on your stage and your calling is really important.

00:22:05:10 - 00:22:25:20

Kasey

Yeah. And when you were talking, I was just thinking like, Psalm 23 came to my head we were talking about surrender and God leads you on, on certain paths, you know, in different seasons. So if I don't mind, I'm going to read Psalm 23:1, which says, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

So thinking of the Lord guiding us like you were saying, He is our shepherd and we shall not want. When we follow Him, we find our satisfaction. He makes me lie down in green pastures. There's our rest. He leads me beside still waters, there's our movement. We are moving for joy and being refreshed. He restores my soul. There's that all around, like health and wellness, wholeness.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. I thought maybe you have some other passages that you really have have come to mind when you've been going through this journey. But that's that's kind of what I came what came to mind there. Is there anything else that you would like to leave the guests with before before we go?

00:23:24:09 - 00:23:51:05

Amanda

I would just add one thing that was on my heart before you recorded is just less advice, and more of God. Right? It's not about what we can do. It's about what he's already done for us and what he's doing through us. 

Aubrey

I love that. And just resting. I know Kasey and I say we rest and rest in his grace and move for joy, and we have to receive that grace first before we can move and enjoy. So that's awesome. Amanda, why don't you go ahead and share with us where everyone can follow you, connect with you, and a little bit more about your book coming out soon. 

Amanda

I'm mostly on Instagram @thewellway_amanda. And the book is called Good to Grow. It's available on Amazon and it goes through a lot of this and it talks about my story and ultimately how the point of our lives is to be fruitful and how we can exhibit those fruits even in our movement and our eating.

We can have love and joy and peace and patience. And in all of those good fruits and can just be displayed through our bodies.

Kasey

That's beautiful. Love it. How do you feel about praying for the guests if there's anything that comes to your mind?

Amanda

That would be great.

A Prayer for Joyful Movement in Busy Seasons

Dear God, 

Thank you so much for this opportunity. Thank you for giving us breath and giving us life and giving us words. And God, I just pray for anyone who's who's listening that you will fill in with your grace, in your goodness, in your love and your peace and your joy, in your kindness, God and that friend that been we can just overflow and we can we can glorify you through our bodies and their movement and praise you and understand that that our bodies are a gift from you and that what you've allowed us to do with them.

And it's a privilege and God, we just thank you for that. We ask that and that we can just use them for your glory, that we can use our hands and our feet to serve and to worship and, and to love others God in. So please guard against the enemy and against the message that we have to always do more and that we're not good enough if we're not doing so much exercise or eating perfectly or or doing all these things that we place upon ourselves.

God, we know that those are lives from the enemy. You call us worthy and it's only through the redemption of Christ that we are worthy. And so, God, we just praise you. And we thank you for that. For that gift and that blessing. And it's in Jesus name that I pray. Amen. 

00:27:16:10 - 00:27:53:07

Kasey

So in this episode, we talk a lot about Joy for movement. If you would like some more help with this topic or a deeper dove, we recommend our Free Joyful Movement Workout series. If you're not sure how to get started, this four part effective workout series will guide you, starting with Scripture and ending with prayer. You can find this joyful movement workout series at joyfulhealth.co/resources, and please make sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. We cannot wait to hear from you. So until next time. Rest in his grace and follow the joy.

If you enjoy this podcast, would you be so kind as to leave a review for us? It helps others know that real people like you are listening and are benefiting, and will encourage others to try it out too. We are so grateful for you!