Why rediscovering play might be the most powerful thing you do for your body
When was the last time you did something physically playful; not for fitness, not for steps, not for heart rate, but just because it felt enjoyable, interesting or a bit daring?! For many adults, the answer is… “I can’t quite remember.”
Somewhere between childhood and midlife, play gets labelled as childish, silly or indulgent. A thing we ‘grow out of’. But our bodies don’t grow out of it. They simply stop receiving the kinds of movement that play naturally provides: unpredictability, spontaneity, variation, curiosity, a little courage, and a lot more laughter.
In Move Well for Life, I share an example of how strange it is that we expect children to climb trees, and yet would be slightly alarmed to see adults do the same. Unless, of course, they’re tree surgeons, or it’s reframed as a fitness modality, like parkour or climbing - then suddenly it’s “allowed”.
But why do we need permission to move in ways that feel joyful?
What if rediscovering play isn’t childish at all, but a sign of confidence and capability?
What if it’s one of the most powerful antidotes to stiffness, fear, pain, and self-consciousness?
We lost play because we stopped imagining we could
Adults tend to approach movement through the lens of “Is this exercise?” or “Will this be useful?” Children simply think: How can I get there? What can I climb? What shape can I make?
When we remove imagination from movement, we reduce possibility. We move in the same straight lines, we choose predictable surfaces, and move in predictable ranges, and our bodies adapt to a more narrow world.
But the moment we add curiosity; “What if I climb this? What if I step on that? What if I scramble under this branch?” we reconnect not only with more movement, but with more self-trust.
Fun becomes a catalyst for capability.
Nature as a playground, not a backdrop
For years, I walked through nature, observing it, but without really interacting with it. I admired it, appreciated it… but didn’t use it.
When I came across the world of natural movement and saw images of people climbing trees, handing from them, balancing on them, something shifted. I started to question why I hadn’t and realised it was because I’d bought into the idea of play being for children. I started seeing tree roots as things to step on and reach from one to the next, rather than walk around, low branches as opportunities to duck or crawl under, fallen logs as balance beams, uneven terrain as a challenging invitation to let my ankles, hips and brain wake up again.
It wasn’t “exercise”, it was exploration.
And with exploration came a sense of play I hadn’t realised I’d missed. It made walks feel richer, softened pain, lifted my mood, built strength in ways far more dynamic than anything I did in a straight line in the gym. Joy changed how I saw my pain and how brave I started to feel.
Fun feels different for everyone, and that’s the whole point
For some people, play looks spectacular: climbing, scrambling, jumping. For others, it’s quieter: moving in a new, varied way they hadn’t thought of before, actively choosing to take a slightly unusual route whilst out and about, and just trying something without worrying what anyone might think. ‘Fun’ doesn’t have to be loud, extroverted or performative.
Try something today
It might be:
balancing along a kerb or low wall
stepping from stone to stone on a woodland path
walking backwards for a few steps
Jumping over a puddle with a hop, skip and a jump
taking a new route just to see what challenges appear
Fun is simply the spark that reminds your body: I can do this. I can try this. I can enjoy this. And one of the key things when we’re reclaiming our movement, as I was, is that spark is often what people rediscover long before mobility or strength fully return, as it gives us a feeling we want to have again, giving us a reason to move more, in more varied ways and bring big smiles to our faces and perhaps even loving laughter from those with us!
Fun is fuel
Nurturing fun is the fifth principle in my Move Well Wheel in my new book, ‘Move Well for Life: Unlock the life-changing power of everyday movement’ (out on 1st January 2026 - available for pre-order now), and in many ways, it ties everything together. When movement feels enjoyable, interesting or playful, we keep showing up for it. We stop viewing our bodies through the lens of limitation and start seeing possibility again.
Fun builds confidence and helps us become consistent - the real secret to lifelong mobility.
Next week, we’ll explore the sixth and final principle: Get Outdoors, how nature not only expands your movement possibilities, as we’ve seen in this blog too, but also supports your mind, energy and long-term health in remarkable ways.
If you want more movement fun in your life, but feel restricted by your body, join the next LIVE Reclaim Everyday Ease course, starting on 19th January. The doors open in the new year with an early bird discount for those on the waiting list. Sign up here and you’ll be the first to grab your place, as space is limited.
