Why Intentional Exercise Beats Just ‘Being Active’

You go for walks, chase your kids, clean the house, maybe even hit 10,000 steps—so why intentional exercise? Isn’t being active enough?

The short answer? Being generally active is great, but it’s not the same as being intentionally active—and the difference can totally change the way your body feels, functions, and progresses.

Physical Activity vs. Intentional Exercise: What's the Difference?

Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving. It's the times when you're up off the couch or away from your desk at work. Walking the dog (leisurely, flat strolls), gardening, taking the stairs, running errands, mopping the house — they all burn calories, they all benefit you. It’s movement that is great for heart health, circulation, mood, and keeping you mobile. You know how your body gets sore when you sit for too long? That's because we were meant to be moving. Think your hunter gatherer ancestors were chilling out for several hours a day? They weren't.

Intentional exercise, on the other hand, is structured and goal-driven. It’s movement with purpose, will exert a considerable amount of energy, likely have your lungs working and muscles burning. Think strength training, cardio (including hiking, or faster paced walks with hills), mobility drills, or scheduled yoga flows. These activities are done with consistency and direction—whether your goal is to build muscle, improve endurance, work on balance and mobility, boost energy, or support mental health.

Why Intentional Exercise Matters

1. It Builds Progress, Not Just Maintenance

Assuming you are a generally active person, physical activity helps you maintain your health. Intentional exercise helps you improve it further. Want to get stronger, run faster, move easier, or feel more energized? That takes purpose and a plan.

2. It Supports Mental Clarity & Stress Relief

When you carve out 30–60 minutes for a workout you chose intentionally, you’re not just moving—you’re investing in your mental health. It becomes sacred time: a stress relief valve, a mindset reset, and a confidence booster all in one.

3. It Creates Body Awareness

Intentional movement helps you connect with your body. You start noticing your posture, how your muscles activate, your breath, and your form. This awareness leads to better movement in everyday life.

4. It Aligns With Your Goals

Whether your goal is to lose fat, gain muscle, build endurance, or just feel better, intentional exercise allows you to work toward it with measurable progress. For example, if your goal includes weight loss, you'll need to maintain a calorie deficit and adding intentional exercise to your day will burn more calories than physical activity will alone.

5. It Builds Discipline, Not Just Motion

Anyone can go for a leisurely walk, but true growth in your overall wellbeing takes some focus and commitment. Showing up intentionally, even when you don’t feel like it, strengthens your discipline muscle (and your glutes, while you’re at it ).

Tips on How to Start Moving With Intention

• Start small. A 30-minute strength workout focused on form, breathing, balance, and slow reps or short interval walk/run will get the endorphins pumping!

• Wanting a gentler approach? Try a yoga flow that targets mobility or a pilates class on YouTube. Both are low impact, but still challenging.

• Opt for a customized plan with goals, progressions, and accountability built in to eliminate the mental load of starting something new.

• Aim to eliminate barriers preventing exercise (ie. early morning workout, utilize childcare options, invest in dumbbells for home if driving to the gym is too far).

• Prioritize yourself. When you start viewing movement as self care, you'll learn to love those precious workouts more than you think. Always tell yourself that you are WORTHY of it and don't let the guilt of piled up laundry or needing your partner to cook dinner so you can get movement in eat you alive.

  
  

The goal isn’t to overdo it—it’s to move with purpose. Let your physical activity support your lifestyle, and let your intentional exercise elevate it.

TL;DR: Being active is awesome. But when you move with intention, you train your body to get stronger, more capable, and more connected. It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing it on purpose.

Ready to start moving with intention? Let’s build a plan that fits your life and goals. You are worthy of feeling amazing in your body!

xo Shelb