I need to be honest with you about something.

For the past couple of months, my workout routine completely disappeared. Between the nausea, the exhaustion, the sick days, the toddler chaos of two children under three, and the general reality of building a business while also being a present parent — the intentional movement quietly fell away.

I was still moving. Walks with the buggy. Running after Leo and Lily. The low-level physical labour of parenting that never stops. But the intentional, dedicated, this-is-for-me movement? That was gone. And I noticed it.

Even 10 to 15 minutes of intentional movement changes everything for my mental health. Not for weight. Not for how I look. For how I feel inside my own skin. For the quality of my thinking. For my patience with my kids. For my relationship with my own body. For how well I sleep.

So last week, I started again. And this post is as much for you as it is for me — because I suspect I'm not the only one who needed a gentle, honest reminder.

The Thing Nobody Tells You About Starting Over

The first five workouts are just hard. Full stop.

Not hard in an injury-risk way. Hard in a this-is-uncomfortable-and-my-body-has-forgotten-and-I'm-wondering-why-I'm-doing-this way. That's normal. That's not a sign that you're not a workout person or that it's too late to start again. That's just the first five.

Here's what I've learnt from the many times I've started over: The hardest part is never the workout itself. It's the moment before the workout, when you're deciding whether to start. The negotiation with yourself. The five reasons why maybe tomorrow would be better.

Once you're in it — once you've done five, six, seven sessions and the rhythm begins to return — something shifts. Your body remembers. It actually starts asking for movement. The motivation that felt absent at the start starts showing up in the middle, not before it.

You just have to get through those first five. That's the whole game.

Why Movement Matters — What the Research Actually Shows

I want to say something important here, because I think it gets missed in the wellness conversation:

Exercise is not primarily about aesthetics or weight. It is one of the most powerful interventions available for mental health, cognitive function, hormonal regulation, inflammatory control, cardiovascular health, and longevity.

The research is unambiguous:

• • Regular moderate movement reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety to a degree comparable to antidepressant medication — in multiple meta-analyses

• • Daily walking lowers cortisol, reduces inflammatory markers, and improves insulin sensitivity — three of the most important health metrics

• • Exercise supports hippocampal neurogenesis — the growth of new brain cells in the memory and emotion centre — one of the few non-pharmaceutical interventions shown to do this

• • Yin yoga and gentle stretching activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cortisol, improving sleep quality, and supporting the hormonal regulation that depends on a calm stress response

• • Sedentary behaviour is now considered an independent risk factor for chronic disease, separate from exercise levels — meaning it's not enough to exercise; you also need to reduce the hours spent sitting

None of this is about looking a certain way. It's about the fundamental physiology of a body that is supported versus a body that is running on empty.

What My Routine Looks Like Right Now

I'm sharing this not as a prescription — but as an honest picture of what works for me at this stage of life, with two children, a business, and a commitment to consistency over perfection:

• • Pilates with Move With Heart (MWH) — I've had this subscription for six years and it remains one of the best health investments I've made. The workouts are 15–25 minutes, designed specifically for home, and range from beginner to advanced. My rule: I commit to just 10 minutes. I always do more. But 10 minutes is the commitment I can always keep.

• • HIIT, approximately 20 minutes — short, intense, efficient. I use YouTube workouts — nothing elaborate. The point is to get my heart rate up and create the hormonal and metabolic response that moderate exercise doesn't produce. Two to three times a week.

• • Daily walks — non-negotiable. Regardless of what else happens or doesn't happen. Whether it's a pushchair walk during nap time, a solo morning walk on the phone with a friend, or just getting outside between calls. Movement is a non-negotiable. The type is flexible.

• • Yin yoga, 1–2 times per week — not technically a workout. More accurately: nervous system medicine. I sleep better on yin yoga days. I crave different foods. I feel more patient. More grounded. Calming the nervous system is, genuinely, the single most important health practice I can do — and yin yoga is my most reliable way to get there.

This Is Your Reminder

You don't have to start on Monday. You don't have to wait until you feel completely ready. You don't have to have the perfect routine mapped out before you begin.

Just start. Today. With whatever time you actually have. Ten minutes if that's all there is. One walk. One yoga class. One thing.

The first five are the hardest. And then momentum takes over.

→ Related: The Thing That Started It All

→ Related: How to Love Your Body: Powerful Affirmations and Rituals for Self Love

Eat Plants. Feel Alive.

Xo Kristel & Michael

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.