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- I'm basically best friends with Mindy Kaling now
I'm basically best friends with Mindy Kaling now
Stuff you actually want to read about from Pam Moore
Hi ,
A fun thing about me is that I barely know who any celebrities are. But when SELF asked me if I would interview one of the only celebrities I actually know of and have been a huge fan of since the first season of The Office — Mindy Kaling — I was beyond excited. Even better, they specifically asked me to talk to her about how she discovered… wait for it — joyful movement!! The deal with Mindy (we are on a first-name basis now) is that we got to talk for 11 minutes over a Zoom call that her PR team arranged. Somehow I turned that short call into a ~1k word story. Also, she was nice, professional, and very funny. But the other thing — dare I say, the more important thing — was the content of our conversation. Mindy told me how she changed her relationship with exercise. And although she never said the words “self-love” she was describing a shift from using exercise to punish her body toward using movement as a form of self-care. In other words, she’s all about joyful movement. Joyful movement is having a moment right now and I am 100% here for it. Although the term evokes images of frolicking in a meadow or splashing about in some Caribbean sea (at least for me), it is so much more accessible than all that. Joyful movement is: *Any form of movement you enjoy, whether that’s walking, running, gardening, powerlifting, hiking, dancing, or anything else. *Any form of movement that lifts your mood (even if you don't feel like getting started). *Something you give yourself permission to stop at any point if you’re not feeling itJoyful movement is not: *Punishment for what you ate *Justification for what you are about to eat *Something you do even though you’re burnt out on it/ tired of it/ sick of it/ actually sickThis isn’t a comprehensive definition, but it’s a good start. In essence, if you are doing any physical activity because you hate yourself or are trying to sweat your body into submission in some way, that’s probably not joyful movement.On the other hand, if you’re exercising (a loaded term for many, same for working out) as a way to nourish your body (or your heart, mind, soul, or even a relationship, as Mindy described in our interview) that’s joyful movement.Joyful movement is just one of many ways you can show some love and compassion for yourself. For me, joyful movement is the dance class I went to Friday morning on a whim when my bike team trip to Aspen fell through at the last minute due to weather. (Yes, we had major snow here in Colorado in late May!). I danced badly and had a smile on my face the entire time. It’s the ten-minute walk I go on to clear my head in the middle of my work day. It’s 15 minutes with a kettlebell in my basement when that’s all the time I have and my body is begging me to sweat. It’s the 50-mile bike ride I look forward to not because of how many calories I’ll burn but because of all the time I get to spend outside and the contented kind of tired I’ll feel afterward. What does joyful movement look like to you? Hit reply and let me know. xo,P.S. If your preoccupation with food, exercise, and your weight are getting in the way of living a life that aligns with your values, I can help. Click here to find out how. P.P.S. If you haven't seen this newsletter in a while, it might be going to your Promos in Gmail. If that's the case, go back to your inbox and drag this email over to your Primary tab and it should start showing up there in the future.
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4 Things Worth Checking Out
If you have three minutes: Amy McHugh wrote this gorgeous essay for Shondaland, “Why I Jump into the Ocean Every Day.” Friends, if this not some joyful movement here, I don’t know what is.
If you have an hour: Dan interviewed me on the Real Fit podcast in honor of my one-year podiversary. In this episode I discuss some of my deepest fears (yes, really), that time I got lost in a lake and took a ride home with a drunk stranger, why my most memorable races were far from my fastest.
If you have another hour: Dan Harris interviewed Sonia Renee Taylor, the author of "The Body is Not an Apology" on the 10 Percent Happier podcast and it was like a supplement for my soul. Accepting your body comes down to self-love. Period. Taylor explains it so beautifully. (Not surprising, given that she’s a poet) Highly recommend.
If you have two minutes: Check out The Sample. They curate articles from hundreds of blogs and newsletters and send you the ones worth subscribing to.
The Real Fit podcast features real conversations with women athletes on topics like body image and confidence, my goal is to share stories that will let you know you're not alone and that you're already enough. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to juicy podcasts. New episodes every other Tuesday.
Are you ready to heal your relationship with food and exercise?
I’m on a mission to help badass women like you stop wasting your precious energy on the quest to shrink your body. You were made to do amazing things and your obsession with food, exercise, and body image is a huge distraction.Together we can clear that mental clutter and turbocharge your path to being your best self.I'm a weight-neutral health coach, occupational therapist, and certified personal trainer and I offer 1:1 health coaching services.
My 34-page e-book, 7 Pitches that Sold is everything I wish I’d known when I started as a freelance writer, including pitches that turned into stories in The Washington Post, Runner's World, and Outside. **Use the code realfit50 to get half off*
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