Reflecting on last month’s article and my increased time on social media recently, I noticed something that made me pause. I have been thinking a lot about how much attention we give to the way our bodies look and how little attention we give to the way they feel. Fitness culture is skilled at helping us sculpt, measure, and track our physical bodies. We count steps, monitor calories, chase personal bests, and compare progress photos. Yet somewhere in that process many of us have lost touch with something much quieter but far more important. We have lost the ability to listen to the signals our bodies are constantly sending us. Our intuition.
My Instagram feed is inundated with different exercise routines, tips on managing life, reminders to eat more protein, strategies to gain muscle as I approach perimenopause, and endless wellness advice. I realized that I barely see posts from friends anymore instead, my feed is filled with content creators and influencers. Social media has slowly shifted from a place to connect with people I know to a constant stream of curated content telling me how my life should look.
It becomes very easy to compare and feel as though I am always chasing something that I can never quite attain. The pressure to appear like I am “perfect” can be exhausting. When I stop being mindful of who I am, the fixation on external validation begins to replace my own internal awareness. Instead of listening inward, I start wondering how I measure up. I stop asking the most important question. What is my body actually telling me?
Especially when coming from underrepresented communities that may hold different values and ways of being than many North American ideals, I was raised with the understanding that my internal compass matters. When you exist between cultures, you become aware of misunderstandings and dismissed experiences more quickly. You notice when others try to define you based on their own perspectives. Often their interpretation does not quite fit. In those moments intuition becomes something you rely on for safety and self trust.
But even with that foundation, there are times when I feel disconnected from that internal voice. Parenthood, busy schedules, constant comparison, and the pressure to perform can all drown it out. External standards grow louder, and it becomes harder to hear the quiet signals our bodies are sending.
The more I think about it, fitness should not just be strengthening our physical appearance, it should also include strengthening our ability to listen to the body we live in. Training the systems that allow our bodies to feel safe and regulated. What is the point of having a perfect physique, if our insides cannot support it? Holistic fitness, as I’ll call it here, would encompass emotional and body awareness, and learning to notice the cues that signal stress, fatigue, or tension. Learning to regulate our nervous systems, feel sensations in our bodies and recognize the signals our bodies send us are all part of this work. When we ignore those signals, the result can be stress, anxiety, burnout, and disconnection.
I will admit that listening to my body’s cues is something I have had to relearn recently. Emotional regulation was not something I was taught growing up. Ironically, it has become essential to understand now that I am raising a toddler with very BIG emotions. Somatic awareness has helped me notice that when I am stressed or angry, I hold tension in specific areas of my body. Grounding techniques, body scans, taking breaks from social media, and journaling my thoughts have all helped me reconnect with my body and step out of my head. Trusting my body’s cues and honouring what my gut instinct is telling me.
This kind of work trains a different kind of strength. It is the strength that comes from listening to what your body is telling you. It is harder than it sounds, especially when there is so much information about what is supposedly “best.” There is no single formula for this. Rebuilding that connection is about finding what works for you. And it reminds us of our self worth.
Holistic fitness is not just about shaping the body others see. It is about strengthening the relationship with the body we live in. Because the strongest body is the one that knows how to listen to itself.
