If you, like me, started the new year reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, you may be examining your habits—sorting out the good, the bad, and the indifferent. I’m finding this process fascinating and wondering if I can make life a little easier by being more disciplined with my habits: adding a ten-minute meditation before my morning shower, waiting until after breakfast to check my WhatsApp messages, and finding time for extra walks throughout the week.

Inspired by this idea of habits, I want to talk about movement habits—where they come from, how they can be good, bad, or indifferent, and how giving them a little clean-up could make life easier and possibly less painful.

The Nature of Movement Habits

Movement habits, in general, are pretty neutral. Being right- or left-handed is a movement habit. Try brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand—it’s an interesting experiment in challenging a movement habit. For most of us, though, changing which hand we hold our knife and fork with or write with isn’t necessary unless, of course, pain is involved (which I’ll discuss soon). Walking and breathing are also deeply habitual, and we usually do them automatically. Simply noticing these habits or biases can be valuable, especially if you experience pain.

As babies and toddlers, we develop good movement habits to help us crawl, walk, and get from A to B. Athletes, performers, and musicians build essential movement habits through discipline and practice, allowing them to perform with precision. Perhaps we could say that good movement habits, then, are those that help us do the things we love.

Our movement habits are shaped by what we do and how we use our bodies. The hobbies we engage in, the sports we play, and even the way we were taught to move as children all contribute. Some habits are inherited genetically, while others develop based on how we learn from parents, guardians, and siblings. I once met a student who had always been right-handed but became left-handed after having a baby, simply from holding her child on her right hip so often.

When Movement Habits Cause Problems

Some movement habits arise from trauma—both physical and emotional. Injuries, accidents, and health issues all affect movement. Many of my students share stories about past injuries: a fall from a horse, recurring ankle sprains, football injuries. Our bodies are amazingly resilient and have an incredible ability to heal. However, problems arise when the habits formed in response to trauma become sources of discomfort themselves.

For example, habits formed to protect an injury might lead to joint wear and tear, muscle spasms, chronic tightness, overstretching of certain muscles, fatigue, inflammation, or nerve overstimulation. These protective patterns can linger long after the original injury has healed, contributing to ongoing pain and dysfunction.

How to Improve Movement Habits for Ease and Comfort

1. Self-Awareness

The first step is identifying the habit. We need to become our own movement detectives, observing how we use our bodies in daily life.

How do you stand? Do you put more weight on one leg than the other?
Do you always climb a step with the same leg first?
How do you sit? do you always cross a leg? the same leg? how do you stand up from a chair? do you use your hands?
Does your job require repetitive movements? (Ask any hairdresser if they have a “niggle”—standing on one leg for hours, using tools, and bending a certain way all contribute to strain.)
Do you always carry a bag on one shoulder?
Do you play a racket sport?

All of these activities create strong movement habits. What are yours?

2. Look for New Possibilities

Once you know where you are, you can decide where you want to go. To change a habit, you must be open to doing things differently. Try this:

Interlace your fingers and notice which thumb is on top.
Now switch them so the other thumb is on top. This is the non-habitual way.
Feels strange, doesn’t it?
keep switching back and forth and see if after a few times it starts to feel a little more familiar.

This is what it’s like to change a movement habit. The longer we’ve had a habit, the stranger it feels to adjust it. It may take time to feel natural.

3. We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

One way to improve movement habits is to look for positive examples in others. Shifting our self-image to that of someone with good movement habits can be powerful.

Trying a new movement practice is a great way to expand our movement “vocabulary.” Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and, of course, Feldenkrais are all excellent practices that introduce novel ways of moving outside our usual habits. They also integrate the mind and body, making the learning process safe, exploratory, and even fun. Hurrah!

Choose activities that excite you. As James Clear would say, make it appealing.

Check out what’s happening in your local area, and if getting out and about is difficult, see if online options are available.

4. Be Patient and Kind to Yourself

Repetition and patience are key. Learning new movement habits isn’t always easy, but making the process enjoyable is essential. Your body and mind might not let go of old habits immediately. Stick with it—learning a new habit takes time.

5. Take Breaks

Trying something new can be more tiring than expected. Babies learning to crawl and walk take frequent naps because movement learning is a full-time job for them. Give yourself the same grace.

6. Integrate New Movement Habits into Daily Life

Trying out a new movement habit is like buying a new sweater—it won’t do much good if it just sits in the wardrobe. Try them out in your everyday activities and see if you notice improved comfort when standing, sitting, walking, climbing stairs or your usual hobbies and daily activities.

Final Thoughts

I hope these tips are helpful. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or thoughts on this topic. I’m always happy to help you along your movement wellness journey.

Move well, everyone.
James :)

Creatures of Movement Habit: Why Cleaning Up Our Movement Habits Could Make Life a Little Easier and Maybe Reduce Pain