How to improve physical literacy as an adult
Until my early thirties, I was convinced that I had very poor physical literacy and would never be “athletic.” This belief wasn’t just a passing thought, but something deeply ingrained in my mind after years of being told that I wasn’t good enough.
My best athletic efforts in childhood and adolescence were met with dismal scores by elementary school teachers and physical education educators. Worst of all, my peers teased me about it. It didn’t help that I was the smallest in my class and wore Coke-bottle glasses because of my extreme farsightedness.
“Don’t pick her, she’s not athletic.”
“She’s so slow!”
“Can she even see the ball?”
“You aren’t good enough to join our team.”
And so, I carried the label of “not being athletic” into adulthood, avoiding activities that would expose my supposed shortcomings. But as I eventually discovered, physical literacy isn’t about innate talent or being the fastest or strongest. It’s about building confidence and joy in movement, discovering what feels good in your body, and rewriting the story you’ve told yourself for years.
Yes, developing physical literacy as an adult is possible—it’s never too late. Let me show you how I came to see myself as “athletic” and how you can too.
Developing physical literacy: The Perfect Circle approach
In my early thirties, I struggled with pain throughout my body. Initially I worried that I had an undiagnosed illness. After checking in with my doctor, however, I received the diagnosis: lack of movement and strength.
My avoidance of a variety of physical activities combined with hauling around three young children had taken its toll on my body. I wasn’t moving often enough and, more damaging for my body, I wasn’t moving well enough.
My body was unbalanced and my muscles were weak. I needed to develop better physical literacy and movement skills, but didn’t know where to start. (Quick tip: If you have any concerns about starting or increasing physical activity, it’s always a good idea to check in with your doctor first.)
When it comes to developing physical literacy as an adult, it can be difficult to know how or where to start. In my own journey, I took some wrong turns and made some false starts. I jumped into a five-kilometre run and could barely walk for a week. Eventually, however, I fell into a rhythm that helped develop physical literacy.
I didn’t realize it then, but I had happened upon the Perfect Circle [PDF] approach. The Perfect Circle is a continuous loop with three components that helps adults (and children) develop physical literacy. These components are:
- Love of movement: Cultivating an appreciation and enjoyment of physical activity
- Skills: Developing fundamental movement skills
- Confidence: Building confidence in physical capabilities
Each component is important, feeds into one another, and can be approached in many ways. For myself, however, what got me started was love.
Finding joy in motion: Love of movement
At the top of the Perfect Circle is love of movement. When I started on my journey towards better physical literacy, two things came to mind: going to the gym or running. Both ideas seemed terrible. Instead, I started to experiment with different ways of moving—walking and hiking, biking with my kids (on flat trails, not streets), stretching and yoga, swimming in the lake—to find movements that I enjoyed. I even started to lift weights at home and eventually discovered (after a few years) that I love powerlifting movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench press. Who knew!?
When it comes to developing your own physical literacy, start by asking: What can I do to increase my enjoyment and love of moving?
Throw away the idea that developing physical literacy has to be tortuous. Forget about what others say you have to do to be physically literate. Stop scrolling through videos of fitness gurus.
Instead, discover movement that brings you joy—that you love! If you enjoy walking, go for a walk outside. If you love water, try swimming or aqua fitness classes. If you like being around people, try group classes or beginner recreational sports. If you don’t like being around people, try an at home online fitness class (I went through a phase when these worked best for me). Don’t be afraid to try lots of new ways to move, to think outside of the box (hacky sack? Hula hoops?), and to pay attention to how different activities make you feel.
The more you love moving, the more you will move.
Building blocks of movement: Fundamental movement skills (FMS)
On the Perfect Circle, after love of movement comes skills. Skills refer to fundamental movement skills (FMS), and, as stated by the National Library of Medicine, they are “the building blocks for more complex motor skills [that] provide the foundation for participation in many forms of physical activity.” FMS include skills like running, jumping, catching, throwing, climbing, and balance.
As a child and teen there were some fundamental movement skills that I’d developed. My parents encouraged me to dance, rock climb, and go outside, which gave me a good foundation in balance, jumping, running, and climbing. However, I struggled in PE class because I had deficiencies in catching, throwing, kicking, and striking.
I struggled with swimming, skating, and many other sport activities that my peers participated in. As an adult, when I realized that I needed to move more, I knew that I had to improve my FMS. Not only the skills that I had never developed but also practice those I’d learned in my childhood.
When it comes to developing your physical literacy, the next question to ask is: What can I do to improve my fundamental movement skills?
To help you answer that question, have a look through these fundamental movement skills videos. Which of these skills do you feel could use work? Which do you feel has a good foundation? Once you hone in on the FMS that need work, try some of these simple activities to begin working on them. Yes, those simple activities say that they’re FMS for kids, but that’s the beauty of developing physical literacy. It’s a lifelong process and it’s never too late to begin or to improve. You can improve any skill, no matter how old you are. Better balance is as good for you at 66 as six years old.
Building FMS takes time, so don’t be discouraged if your first attempts feel humbling. With consistency and persistence, you will get better at foundational movements skills, and as you do something wonderful happens: confidence blooms.
Believe in your body: Confidence
On the Perfect Circle, after skills comes confidence. To help me practice fundamental movement skills, I found an at-home movement exercise plan that had me walking up and down my stairs and carrying 4L milk jugs around the house. I’m sure I looked silly, but I didn’t care because with each day that passed I was learning how to move better and more regularly.
When it comes to developing physical literacy, a good question to ask is: What can I do to improve my confidence in moving? Moving in ways that you love builds movement confidence. Keeping track of your wins, and being aware of your improvements, makes confidence bloom! Keep a journal or a notepad (digital or paper) of your activities and the skills you’re developing. When you’re struggling with confidence, read out loud what you’ve accomplished and what you have learned so far. Become aware of how much you have grown and the joy you experienced simply by moving more and better.
Movement confidence comes when you realize you’ve done or learned something and you’re improving. This is known as the Confidence Formula.
Conclusion
It’s been a decade since I started my journey towards developing better physical literacy. If I could go back and give myself a pep talk it would be this:
You are an athlete—believe it. You are made to move! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Discover movement that brings you joy, hone in on movement skills that you want to improve, and celebrate your wins, however small they seem.
Above all, remember that learning physical literacy is never too late and that it’s a lifelong process, one that we get to enjoy with those around us, kids included.
