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Reader,

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Thanks to Katrina for joining us last week — wasn’t the conversation and her guide intriguing? It sparked so many thoughtful reflections, and I wanted to share something related with you today.

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The start of a new year often brings renewed motivation. You may feel ready—again—to move more, feel stronger, and reconnect with your body.

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But for many people, January also brings frustration especially if you’ve started before, stopped, and wondered why things never seem to go the way you hoped.

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I see this often in my work.

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One client would begin a movement routine feeling optimistic. For a few weeks, things felt manageable. Sometimes even good.

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Then something would change and pain would flare, energy would dip, or life would simply get busy.

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Progress didn’t look the way they expected.

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Frustration followed quickly:

“I must be doing this wrong.”
“Other people don’t struggle like this.”
“Maybe my body just can’t do this anymore.”

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And so, they stopped.

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Months later—often around the New Year—they would start again. The cycle repeated, not because of a lack of motivation, but because they believed that if movement didn’t feel better quickly, something must be wrong with them.

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What stood out wasn’t failure, it was belief.

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At one point, the client said,

“I think it’s safer to want things to be better than to try and be disappointed again.”

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That insight changed everything.

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We stopped treating each pause as failure and started seeing it as information. Instead of asking, “Why can’t I stick with this?” we asked, “What does my body need right now?”

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Movement became smaller. Expectations softened. Some days it was gentle stretching in bed. Other days it was a short walk or light strength work with plenty of rest.

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The stops didn’t disappear but the frustration did.

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If this new year finds you tired of starting over, let me offer this reminder:

It is never too late. And it never has to look the way it once did.

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Your best life isn’t built on perfection or consistency without interruption. It’s built on your willingness to return—again and again.

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If this resonates, I’d love to invite you to join me for my upcoming webinar on January 13:

​Move Smart, Feel Better Webinar: The Three Keys to Understanding and Reducing Your Pain​

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In this webinar, we’ll explore why pain can linger even when you’re “doing all the right things,” and how common beliefs about movement and pain can quietly keep you stuck. I’ll walk you through three key shifts that can help you better understand what your body is communicating—and how to respond in a way that feels supportive, not overwhelming.

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This isn’t about pushing through discomfort or forcing change. It’s about learning how to move with more confidence, clarity, and trust in your body—especially if pain has made you hesitant to begin again.

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This year, perhaps the resolution isn’t to never stop—but to begin again with kindness.

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Stay well and happy moving,

Lisa

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Supporting you in your physical activity journey.

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​www.lisaworkman.com​