From “Don’t Move or You’ll Sweat” to Movement Lover: My Journey Back to the Body

If you’ve ever felt like your body just isn’t made for movement, this story is for you.

When I was a little girl, I loved to run, jump, and get dirty, of course. But my love for movement was always met with the same music background played by my grandmother and her sisters:

“Don’t run!”
“Don’t move too much!”

…or the worst thing in the world would happen: you might sweat!

Sweat was the big enemy of my grandmother and great-aunts.

This wasn’t just parental concern. It was cultural gospel, passed down from my grandmother and her sisters — women who had grown up in a world where every drop of sweat meant hard labor. So naturally, if life finally allowed them to rest, why wouldn’t they sit quietly in front of the TV, or on a chair facing the sea?

Looking back, I completely get their point. They came from a generation that had to scrub, carry, cook, clean, and grind — just to get through the day. Stillness was their hard-earned luxury.
But for me, growing up in a more comfortable world, their mantra became a strange kind of inheritance: don’t move, don’t sweat, stay still.

And so, I absorbed it. I was never into sports. I didn’t see the point of training. I hated gym class. I was the kid who needed to fidget while doing homework — I’d tap my feet, stretch, wiggle in my chair — but somehow, still believed I just wasn’t made for physical activity.

When Life Sends a Personal Trainer (in Disguise)

Then, as life often does, it gave me what I didn’t know I needed: a partner who loves sport and movement. Naturally, he dragged me out for a run once.

That time I thought I was going to die — and I didn’t try again for many, many years.

But life is smarter than I am. As young students raising a child, our budget was tight, and biking and walking became our preferred options to get around the city.

Something Shifted

And slowly… I began to enjoy it.

I started liking the feeling of moving through space, the breeze on my skin, the aliveness in my legs. I still hated sweating (thanks, Grandma), but strangely… I wasn’t even sweating that much. It was like she’d programmed me to be a “dry” exerciser!

From daily walks and bike rides, I graduated to hiking. Then to yoga. Then to the occasional run that no longer made me want to cry. Then to strength training.
Now? I crave it. Movement has become my medicine, my meditation, my reset button.

Funny how what once felt shameful — sweat — now feels like a release. A reminder that I’m alive and cleansing something old.

It Wasn’t Instant, But It Was Worth It

It took a long time. It wasn’t some big turning point or a flashy transformation. It was gradual, humble, and deeply personal.
And if I learned anything, it’s this:

You don’t need to be athletic to start moving.

You don’t need to love it from day one.

You just need to start where you are, with what you have, and move a little — each day.

Even now, I don’t consider myself a “fitness person.” But I do consider myself alive. In my body. In rhythm with something real.
And that’s the kind of movement that matters.

Feeling the call to reconnect with your body — gently, naturally, in your own rhythm?


The Natural App is here to support you — not to push, perform, or perfect, but to gently guide you back to what’s real.
Back to your breath. Your rhythm. Your nature.

Because the more we align with Nature — and our own true pace — the more grounded, clear, and alive we feel.

✨ Start small. Stay consistent. Let the shift unfold.


📲 Try The Natural App — and come home to your body, one step at a time.