5 Reasons Why Your Fitness Journey Needs a Dose of Gentle Energy

 

Hey beautiful human, today we’re talking about something I think a lot of women are feeling right now, even if they haven’t quite put it into words yet: mindful movement.

I want to explore what it can actually look like when we apply it to fitness. And why softness doesn’t mean weakness—and how honoring your body doesn’t mean giving up on your goals.

 

What I discuss:

 

  • Five ways to embrace softer, more intentional movement without losing progress

  • A better understanding of what “softness” in fitness actually looks like

  • Tips for balancing structure with grace, discipline with flexibility

  • Permission to pursue your goals without hustle culture energy

  • And ideas for building a routine that truly supports your whole self—mind, body, and heart

 

Also, if you loved this episode, you’ll also love Episode 413: The Importance of a Rest Day: Don’t Let Overexercising Ruin Your Progress. 



If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Transcript

00:00

Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, (0:06) a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk and (0:12) actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving (0:17) your authentic self.

Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get in. Let's go.

(0:28) Hello, and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. (0:32) We're going to be talking about something that I think a lot of women are feeling right now, (0:37) even if they haven't quite put it into words. And that's this shift that we're seeing towards (0:42) a gentler, more mindful movement.

You might've heard it as like the soft girl era. That's what (0:49) people are talking about online. And I know that that phrase gets thrown around in a bunch of (0:53) different ways, but today I kind of want to explore it, what it can actually look like when we apply (0:58) it to fitness and why softness doesn't mean weakness and how honoring your body doesn't (1:03) mean giving up on your goals.

By the end of this episode, my goal is to have you walk away with (1:07) five ways to embrace softer, more intentional movement without losing progress. A better (1:12) understanding of what softness in fitness actually looks like. Tips for balancing structure with (1:16) grace, discipline, and flexibility.

Permission to pursue your goals without the hustle culture (1:22) energy. And lastly, ideas for building a routine that truly supports your whole self, your body, (1:27) your mind, and your heart. But before we dive in, I want to share this review comes from jrace003.

(1:33) She gave a five-star view and said much needed podcast. This is my first time tuning into the (1:38) podcast and it just came at a time where I was starting to feel bad about rest days. (1:42) Julie actually gave us the science behind the importance of rest days and she made it quick (1:46) and easy to listen.

Great podcast that aligns well with her program, Her Movement with Julie (1:51) workouts. Thank you again, Julie. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in this (1:56) review.

It really does, again, mean the world to me when you guys take the time to send in that (2:00) review. So you could scooch over to Apple podcast and leave a rating interview. If you're on (2:04) tuning in on Spotify, you can go over there and just rate the podcast.

Again, anything helps and (2:08) we appreciate you so much for doing that. Okay, let's dive in. So let's kind of clear up something (2:13) real quick, just because I know that the second some people hear soft, their brain automatically (2:19) jumps to lazy and not serious, but let's be super clear.

Soft doesn't mean lazy. It doesn't mean (2:25) you're slacking or giving up or just floating through life without a plan. You can be soft and (2:30) strong.

You can move gently and still be disciplined. You can give yourself grace and still show up (2:36) consistently. What this soft girl energy really means, at least the way that I see it, is stepping (2:41) away from the hustle culture mindset that says that you have to grind, you have to push through, (2:46) you have to go hard every single time.

And instead you start asking, what does my body need today? (2:51) You're not moving to punish yourself. You're moving to support your body. You're not forcing (2:56) your workouts because you should.

You're choosing movement that helps you feel more grounded, (3:00) more present and connected to who you become. It's really a shift from, I have to do this workout to (3:05) I get to move my body today, or no pain, no gain to what would feel strong and supportive today, (3:11) or go hard, go home to how can I build consistency without burning out? And that kind of energy, (3:17) that's powerful. It's sustainable.

And honestly, it's a lot more enjoyable because when you stop (3:22) forcing yourself to show up a certain way and start honoring how you actually feel, (3:27) that's when movement becomes something that you look forward to again, not something that you dread (3:32) or avoid. So let's dive into five things that I want you to know about bringing more softness (3:37) to your workouts. Number one, you can still lift heavy and be gentle.

Let's kind of break the (3:42) stereotype right now, because I think a lot of us have internalized this idea that gentle fitness (3:46) means low impact only. Like you can only claim that soft girl vibe if you're doing yoga flows (3:53) or long walks or Pilates. And while of course I love Pilates, long walks, that's not the full (3:59) picture.

You can absolutely be in your soft girl era and still lift heavy. You can follow a (4:05) progressive overload plan. You can work out consistently with dumbbells.

You can build (4:10) strength and muscle. So what changes? Well, what changes is really the energy that you're bringing (4:14) to it. Like being gentle doesn't mean being less or doing less.

It means that you're doing it with (4:20) more intention. Like for me, sometimes means like turning off the hyped up playlist and putting (4:25) something calm on so I can really tune in to my breath, to my form. Like I've been doing these (4:30) instrumental workouts and I'm telling you, like it's been a game changer, honestly.

It might look (4:35) like taking an extra minute between sets instead of rushing to the next thing. It might look like (4:41) stopping halfway through a workout because my body said, okay, that's enough today. And guess (4:45) what? None of that means that I'm not showing up.

It means that I'm showing up with awareness, (4:49) with respect and trust in my body. Again, gentle doesn't mean easy. It means attuned and that's (4:55) powerful.

There is also something really freeing about giving yourself permission to still love (5:00) lifting and love doing it without the hustle energy. You can have the structure and softness (5:05) at the same time. You can be disciplined and still skip an exercise if it doesn't feel good that day.

(5:10) That's not quitting. That's being smart. And honestly, this is where consistency is built.

(5:15) When you stop trying to push yourself into someone else's version of intensity and instead start (5:20) owning your own version of strength. So yeah, bring the dumbbells, bring the structure, but (5:24) bring your self-awareness too and let it be grounded. Let it be steady.

Let it feel good, (5:29) not just look good on paper. And that's really what lifting in your soft girl era can look like. (5:34) And let me tell you, and just do a little movement with Julie plug here, but every workout inside (5:39) movement with Julie is built with intention.

So yes, we're lifting heavy. Yes, we're challenging (5:44) ourselves and yes, we're building real lasting strength, but we also do it with so much (5:49) intention, with flexibility and with self-awareness. Like you don't need a packed gym.

You don't even (5:54) need a gym. You don't need 90 minute and you definitely don't need to force it when your (5:59) energy is off. All you need is a couple of pair of dumbbells, a small space and a plan that supports (6:04) both your goals and your body.

And this app gives you the structure to follow, but it also (6:09) allows room to listen. And like that might mean hitting pause mid set, taking a longer rest or (6:15) skipping something. If it's just not working for your body that day, that's not falling short.

(6:19) That's honoring where you're at and gentle again, doesn't mean easy. It means smart. It means tuning (6:24) into yourself instead of pushing through just to check that box.

And the best part is you can (6:29) still lift heavy. You can still build muscle and get stronger every week. And that's what working (6:34) out at home with movement with Julia is all about, right? If that sounds like what you need right now, (6:38) head over to movementwithjulia.com for access.

The link is in the show notes, or you can just go to (6:43) sale.movementwithjulia.com. Again, that's sale, S-A-L-E.movementwithjulia.com. Number two, (6:48) rest days are part of the plan. Okay. Let's talk about rest because I know that it's easy to think (6:53) that if you're not working out, you're falling behind, but that's just not true.

In fact, (6:58) rest is literally part of how you make progress. And every time that you strength train, you're (7:03) putting small controlled stress on your muscles, which is great. That's what creates those tiny (7:08) micro tears in your muscle fibers, but it's not during the workout that your muscles actually (7:12) grow.

It's after during recovery, when your body repairs those fibers and builds them back stronger. (7:18) So if you're skipping rest, you're skipping one of the most important parts of the process. (7:22) And that's exactly why inside movement with Julie, you're only scheduled five days a week, (7:26) not six, not seven, five.

So even if you're doing every single workout on the plan, you still have (7:31) two built-in rest days on purpose. One can be a recovery day where you're doing something outside (7:37) of your normal workouts, whether that's a hike, a cycle, whatever. And then the other day, (7:41) a rest day.

This is on purpose because your body needs time to recover. So if you want to (7:46) keep getting stronger, you have to give your body the time to recover. Again, science backs (7:50) this up.

Rest days help reduce inflammation. They restore your energy stores. They regulate (7:55) your nervous system.

They help you come back better, not just physically, but mentally too. (7:59) And here's what the science says. Again, studies show that the rest days reduce that inflammation.

(8:05) They restore the glycogen stores, aka your muscles, energy tanks. They help to regulate (8:09) your central nervous system so that you can actually perform better the next time that you (8:13) train. And one review from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research actually even found that (8:18) adequate or that inadequate recovery can lead to performance plateaus, increased injury risk, (8:24) and disrupted sleep.

But this isn't just about preventing burnout. It's also about building a (8:29) rhythm that actually supports your goals and wellbeing. Because here's what rest days don't (8:33) mean.

They don't mean that you're being lazy. They don't mean that you're off track. They don't (8:37) mean that you've lost momentum.

What they do mean is that you're playing the long game. You're (8:41) treating your body with respect. You're trusting that consistency isn't about doing more.

It's (8:45) about doing what matters and then letting your body recover so that it can keep showing up strong. (8:50) Here's a few ways to make those rest days more intentional and nourishing. Schedule them just (8:56) like your workouts.

So don't leave rest to chance or guilt. If you train three to four days a week, (9:01) plug in at least one to two rest days right into your calendar so that you're protecting that (9:05) space on purpose. Shift the mindset from an off day to recovery day.

This rest can still include (9:10) movement like walk, like stretching, a hike, some mobility work, cycle, but it should feel (9:16) restorative, not demanding. Use your rest day to support other pillars of health. Think sleep, (9:21) hydration, nutrition, stress management.

Those things actually amplify the work that you're (9:25) doing in the gym. If you're consistently grinding but not supporting recovery, you're just running (9:30) around in circles. So listen to your body, not your tracker.

Sometimes you don't need a scheduled (9:35) rest day. You need a responsive one. If you're unusually sore or you're mentally drained or your (9:40) sleep's been off, that's your body talking.

I want you to honor that and that is strength too (9:45) in honoring that. So the next time that you're tempted to push through because you don't want (9:49) to lose momentum, I want you to remember this, that rest is the momentum. It's the space where (9:54) your progress actually takes root and giving yourself that permission, that soft girl energy (9:59) at its best.

It's powerful, it's intentional, and it's exactly what your body needs to keep showing (10:04) up. Number three, move with intention, not obligation. Okay, let's talk about the big (10:09) reason why so many of us struggle to stay consistent and that's because we're moving (10:12) from this obligation instead of intention.

Like have you ever told yourself, oh, I have to work (10:19) out today? And suddenly every part of your body is dragging. You're already dreading it before (10:24) you even put on your shoes, your workout clothes. That's what obligation does.

It turns something (10:29) that could feel empowering into something that feels like pressure. And here's the wild part is (10:34) that it's not just in your head. When you move out of guilt or pressure instead of a desire or purpose, (10:40) it actually affects your stress hormones.

And yes, science alert, but I promise I'll keep it simple. (10:45) Your body doesn't just respond to what you do. It responds to how you feel about it.

So (10:50) when you're forcing yourself to work out from a place of, I should, your body might release more (10:54) cortisol, which is your stress hormone. And when cortisol is elevated too often or for too long, (11:00) it can mess with your energy, your sleep, your recovery, and yes, even your ability to build muscle (11:04) and burn fat. And that doesn't mean working out as bad or stressful.

It just means that the mindset (11:09) you bring into it matters. So here's the shift. Instead of asking yourself, what do I have to do (11:15) today? Instead, ask what would feel good and purposeful today.

And that might mean you still (11:20) do a tough workout. It might mean you go lighter. It might mean that you skip it all together and (11:24) go for a walk instead.

The key is you're choosing it. You're not forcing it. And here's a little (11:28) tip that has really helped me.

Before you start any workout, just pause for 10 seconds and ask (11:33) yourself, why am I moving today? And how do I want to feel afterwards? What would feel supportive (11:38) right now? That small shift from obligation to intention is what helps you stay consistent (11:44) without burning out. And that's actually one of the big reasons why I created the Movement (11:48) with Julie app in the first place is that I was so tired of feeling like I had to go to the gym. (11:52) I felt like I had to spend an hour doing cardio or the same workout on repeat, even if I was (11:57) dreading it.

And I knew that there had to be a better way or actually felt good and helped me (12:02) get results. And so inside my Movement with Julie app, I give you five brand new workouts every (12:06) single week, not recycled routines, not random fluff, just real strength training workouts that (12:11) are designed with progressive overload in mind. But here's the thing.

Every single workout comes (12:16) with a 30-minute variation because I know that life happens. And some days you've got time and (12:21) energy to push. Other days you just need something quick and effective that keeps you on track.

It's (12:26) the same kind of structure that helped me stay consistent for years, not because I was forcing (12:30) it, but because I actually looked forward to it. It gave me flexibility, it gave me options, (12:35) and it really did help me let go of the pressure to do workouts that didn't serve me anymore. (12:40) You don't need a gym.

You don't need 90 minutes or two hours a day. You just need a real plan that (12:45) supports your real life, your goals. And that's what Movement with Julie is here for.

So I will (12:50) link that in the show notes, or you can go to sale.movementwithjulie.com. Number four, pair your (12:56) movement with mindfulness. Now, this is where that soft girl energy really shines because it's not (13:00) just about what you do to move your body. It's about how you make that movement feel like it's (13:05) supporting your whole self.

And that is exactly where wellness pairing comes in. And we're talking (13:10) about layering something that nourishes your mind or your heart into something like onto something (13:16) that moves your body. So it doesn't have to be anything big or extra.

It's about small, (13:20) intentional moments that shift your energy in the best way. So let's say you're going on a walk. (13:24) Amazing.

Now pair that with something soulful. Maybe you pray, maybe you have worship music on, (13:28) maybe you're repeating verses or affirmations. Maybe you just reflect on what you're grateful (13:33) for as you move.

You're turning that walk into worship, into mindfulness, into grounding, (13:37) or maybe it's after a lift, you're tired or sweaty. But instead of rushing off to do the (13:41) next thing, you sit down, you stretch it out, you take five minutes, you take deep breaths. (13:45) That's not wasted time.

That's recovery. And that's restoration. That's letting your nervous (13:50) system settle so that your body can actually absorb the work that you just did.

And sometimes (13:53) it's as simple as this. When your workout is done, take 30 seconds, just 30. Close your eyes, (13:59) breathe, and thank your body for showing up.

Thank your body for health. Thank your body for (14:03) pumping blood and oxygen. Even if it's the rest of your day felt chaotic, even if the workout (14:09) didn't go as planned, even if you didn't want to do it, that little pause, that's where softness (14:14) and strength meet.

That's where your movement becomes more than just physical. It becomes (14:18) personal. And those are the moments that make fitness sustainable because you're not just (14:23) moving to get it done.

You're moving to connect, to restore, to align with who you are or who (14:28) you're becoming. And that, sister, that is the energy that can carry you through tough seasons. (14:32) And that's the kind of strong that's not harsh, disciplined, not rigid, grounded, (14:38) and grace every step of the way.

And last but not least, number five, structure can still support (14:43) you even in a softer season. Let's be real. Just because we're embracing more gentleness in our (14:48) fitness routine doesn't mean that we have to throw structure out the window.

Soft does not mean (14:52) scattered. It also doesn't mean that we move only when we feel like it or that we have to reinvent (14:57) the wheel every week. Structure actually supports your softness because here's the thing.

When you (15:02) have a plan, it removes the guesswork. It frees up your brain from constantly deciding what should (15:07) I do today. And that mental load is oftentimes what keeps us stuck.

And the key to finding the (15:12) kind of structure that holds you up, not boxes you in. And again, that's why I created the (15:17) Movement With Julie app. I wanted something that gave me a plan, but still let me breathe.

Like (15:21) something that helped me stay consistent without making me feel guilty for needing rest, for (15:25) modifying, or for having life outside my workouts. And again, that's why inside the app, you can (15:30) choose however many days you want to train, whether that's two, three, four, five. You can follow the (15:34) plan exactly.

You can take it at your own pace. You can train at the gym if you like, or all you (15:40) need is a few pair of dumbbells in a small space. So whether that's in your finished or unfinished (15:44) basement, whether that's in a dining room, whether that's on a porch, whether that's in your garage, (15:48) whether that is in a guest bedroom, whatever.

But most importantly, it meets you where you're at (15:54) in your season of life. And so for some weeks, I'm lifting heavier and I'm feeling super (15:59) focused. Other weeks, I'm just proud that I got two quick sessions in between the chaos of (16:05) chasing after a one-year-old right now.

And the app really does support both. It gives you just (16:10) enough structure to keep you moving forward, but without the pressure, without the extremes, (16:14) without these all or nothing vibes, that really does burn us out so quickly. So if you're in that (16:20) space and you want to stay consistent, you can head over to SALE.

That's S-A-L-E.movewithjulie.com (16:25) and check it out. I will also link it in the show notes below so that you can easily go access that (16:29) now. All right, so there you have it.

Those are all the reasons why it's okay to be softer on (16:33) your fitness journey. Let me do a quick recap for you. The soft girl era in fitness is not about (16:39) quitting.

It's about creating a routine that's sustainable, supportive, and still effective. (16:43) You can absolutely be soft and strong, flexible and consistent, intentional, and still results (16:49) driven. Small mindset shifts like moving with purpose, allowing rest, honoring how you feel, (16:54) can and do absolutely transform how you experience fitness.

You do not have to hustle to be (17:01) committed. You just have to keep showing up with intention. And last but not least, you're allowed (17:05) to approach fitness in a way that feels good for you and you're still strong, even if your energy (17:10) is soft.

And again, if this episode spoke to you and you've been craving a fitness plan that (17:14) actually honors your energy and your goals, I highly suggest that you check out my Moonwood (17:18) Julie app. It gives you the structure to stay consistent with the flexibility to adjust based (17:22) on how you're feeling, whether you're going hard or you're keeping it soft. Again, I will drop the (17:26) link in the show notes below, or you can go to sale.

That's sale.moonwoodjulie.com. If you love (17:32) this episode, I know you will also love episode 413, the importance of a rest day. Don't let (17:38) overexercising ruin your progress. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes that you can easily (17:42) go listen to that one next.

And if this episode encouraged you, would you share it with a friend (17:47) who might need this reminder as well? And if you haven't left a review already, I would be so (17:52) grateful if you took a minute out of your day to do that. It really does help this message reach (17:57) more women like you. But that is all that I have for today's episode.

I love you so dang much. I (18:02) mean it. And I'll talk to you in the next one.

All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. (18:16) But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following (18:21) me on the gram, be sure to do so.

Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle (18:26) for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep (18:32) your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple podcast to never (18:37) miss an episode.

Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world and I'm going (18:43) to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life (18:48) are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves.

(18:54) Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. (18:57) So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.

 
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