How to form a habit of moving, and not give it up even during the war – and what is fitness neurosis

Despite stress, fatigue, or lack of time – the need to move remains fundamental for our body and psyche. But often, sports or fitness become not a source of joy, but another "must-do" on the to-do list. How to reconnect with your body, find your own format of activity, and not burn out along the way?

Together with sports psychologist Kateryna Velko LIGA.net disassembles:

• what is the difference between sport, fitness, and movement for life;
• how to form a habit that sticks;
• how to avoid falling into the trap of "I have to" and social media pressure;
• how to listen to your body and accept its changes;
• how movement helps to cope with stress during wartime.

It is important to understand that physical activity has different levels, says the sports psychologist:

– Professional sports – is a systematic activity with a clear rhythm: preparation, competition, recovery. It lasts a limited time – usually from childhood or adolescence to around 30 years old.

Fitness and Wellness – it's not about competition, but about quality of life. Fitness helps maintain shape and energy, while wellness is about feeling good physically, emotionally, and mentally. Here, the main thing is not the result, but comfort and enjoyment of movement.

Recreational activity – is movement for the sake of recovery: playing with friends, tennis, a walk, or an active weekend. It helps relieve stress and recharge your energy.

When we separate these three areas – sports, fitness/wellness, and recreation – a "roadmap" appears that helps us understand what exactly we mean by the phrase "playing sports".

How to Form a Habit

Kateryna Velko notes that people rarely act out of inner desire – more often out of a sense of duty or guilt, and there is a way out:

– The first step is to find something that truly ignites you from within, gives you energy and joy. This is where a habit, including a physical activity habit, is born.

The second step is to create space. If your day is packed to the brim, a new habit won't take root. You need to free up space – in time, thoughts, and priorities.

The third is to notice old habits that drain energy and replace them with more environmentally friendly ones: instead of a cigarette, take a walk or move to music for a few minutes.

Ask yourself a few questions:

• Where do I want to do this?
• How do I release energy?
• Who am I comfortable with?
• And most importantly, why do I need this?

When meaning emerges, movement ceases to be an obligation and becomes a way of life. A habit only persists when it comes from within – from desire, not coercion.

Where to start: a coach, environment, and self-care

It's worth starting with something simple –find a coach or a supportive environment, says the expert:

– A coach will help you "ground yourself," adjust your expectations, see realistic prospects, and avoid overwhelming yourself with excessive workloads. It's easier to move towards your goals and maintain balance with the support of a professional or like-minded people.

Another important thing is paying attention to the inner "I have to." When you hear in your head: "I have to exercise," – it's not about desire, but about tension. An internal conflict arises: one part of us forces us, the other resists. Hence – fitness neurosis: workouts become a way to prove something to ourselves, and eventually burnout comes – emotional (nothing feels good), physical (injuries, fatigue), or existential ("why am I doing this?").

To avoid this, it's worth changing your perspective. Instead of "I have to," tell yourself, "Maybe I should try." This opens up the space to choose whether you want to do it now, or if you have the resources for it. Sometimes the best step is not a workout, but sleep, a walk, or a glass of water.

The movement should not stem from coercion, but fromtaking care of yourself – then it nourishes, not exhausts.

Social Media: Motivation or Trap?

Social media can be a source of inspiration – or a cause of self-deprecation. It all depends on our inner resilience, explains Kateryna Velko:

–If fitness content inspires and sparks interest – it's a resource. But if after watching it you feel guilty or helpless – it exhausts you, not supports you. True motivation doesn't arise from such a state. Action through self-punishment quickly leads to burnout, while interest and development, on the contrary, fuel you. So after each viewing, ask yourself: what do I feel? If it's easier and more interesting – it's for you. If it's harder – it's time to take a break.

When motivation fades: how to stay on course

When the question of how to maintain motivation arises, it's usually a sign that the initial motivation was formed incorrectly. It's worth returning to the question: "Why did I start this?"

Often we approach things from a so-called childish position – we want quick results, we don't consider our resources, we are not ready for long-term work, says the psychologist. But any result – both in sports and in psychotherapy – does not come immediately. A person can accumulate stress or depressive states for 30 years, and then months of systematic work are needed to get out of it.

The same applies to physical development: regularity and responsibility are needed, which can be shared with a coach or mentor. This is already a mature position – when I understand why I need this, and I am ready to work not for an immediate effect, but for a long-term result.

"For example, I consciously started going to the gym when I was working with teenagers. I lacked the stamina to withstand their level of emotional energy. So my motivation wasn't to 'look better,' but to become stronger, more stable, and more composed, so I would have the resources for work and life," noted Kateryna Velko.

In psychology, there are three positions through which we act:

• Parental – when we force ourselves to do something because "it's necessary".
• Childish – when we expect quick results and get offended that everything isn't immediate.
• Adulting is when we understand why we're doing something, are aware of the process, and are ready for long-term work.

It is from an adult perspective that stable motivation is born, which does not disappear after the first difficulties.

Balance between body and will: how to listen to yourself

We often live "on autopilot": either we pity ourselves or we chase after an ideal and burn out. Balance begins with contact with the body, explains a sports psychologist.

Body awareness and resourcefulness

Resources are not only physical energy, but also health, relationships, self-realization, and inspiration. When we lose connection with our bodies, we act out of "should" or "what's expected of me," not from genuine desire. To reconnect with ourselves, stop: relax, feel your breath, and scan your body with attention. Then understanding emerges – what is currently lacking: sleep, rest, communication, or simply a pause.

Rhythm and Recovery

Even in sports, development happens in waves: preparation → action → recovery. Skipping the recovery phase leads to burnout. Therefore, it's important not only to move forward, but also to allow yourself to rest so that your energy can replenish.

Acceptance and responsibility

It's okay – sometimes not wanting to and not doing something. The main thing is to understand, why You choose this: sometimes you act out of purpose and responsibility, and sometimes you honestly acknowledge that you need rest. If you don't give yourself a break, you'll lose both your strength and your purpose. So, return to your body, to your breath, to your resources – and start from there.

Shame and patterns: how not to lose yourself in the movement

If we are talking about a person who feels "awkward" or for whom it is "unacceptable" to play sports at a certain age, with a certain weight or status, then this is already about social stereotypes, says the expert:

"Here, it's important to understand how much we are influenced by these ideas and whether we can withstand social pressure while staying in touch with our desires and goals."

There's another aspect – the physical one. Sometimes the body really does change: injury, pregnancy, health condition. In such cases, it's not about shame, but about readjustment – allowing oneself to accept the new reality, to be with the loss of former capabilities, and gradually open up to new ones.

So there's no room for shame here – only acceptance, adaptation, and inner transformation. If shame does appear, it's a signal worth listening to. There's always a story or an inner limitation behind it. And most often, it's not just about sports. If I'm ashamed to do something I truly want to do, the same dynamic can repeat itself in other areas of life. It's about our attitude towards ourselves – about the ability to allow ourselves to be alive, authentic, imperfect, but moving towards our own selves.

How to avoid seeing sports as punishment and find your natural form of activity.

– The question itself is already a trap: "sports = punishment". But movement is not punishment. It's the natural state of our body. We survived thanks to movement – our ancestors were constantly moving, and this is biologically ingrained in us.

Yes, the brain strives to conserve energy, but the body, on the contrary, constantly produces it. And if we don't give this energy an outlet through movement, it goes elsewhere – to anxiety, tension, shame. Then the energy gets blocked, and psychosomatic symptoms begin: the body is simply looking for a place to put this "blockage," – explains Ms. Kateryna.

The first step is to accept the naturalness of movement. Our body is designed to move. The second is to feel your real level of resources. Don't force yourself, but first give yourself space to recover. When we connect with our body, breathe, and feel ourselves in the here and now – we better understand what we really need, not what is "right".

And here it's important to get rid of the stereotype that movement is necessarily a gym, running, or exercise. Movement is any experience of the body. Dancing to music, walking, stretching, even swaying to your favorite song – that's already movement that invigorates.

If your body doesn't want to move, it's not laziness; it's a sign of tension or fatigue. Start small: gentle, pleasant, intuitive movements that bring you pleasure.

Because movement isn't about "having to." It's about living a life you want to feel.

The Power of the Body in Times of War: How Movement Helps to Cope with Stress

– At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we stayed in Kyiv. Explosions, night alarms, sirens – all this happened when the body needed to sleep and recover. I noticed that to prevent stress from "getting stuck" in the body, you need to move. If the children woke up from explosions or we went down to the shelter, I asked them to do a few squats or push-ups – and I moved myself too.

This way we helped the body process its reaction to danger. Because when we don't give this energy an outlet, it "locks up" inside and turns into tension, pain in the back, neck, or jaw. Therefore, today movement is not just about fitness. It's a way to process stress, support the psyche, and learn to live on – even in the most difficult conditions, – says Kateryna Velko.