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The cover of The Joy of Movement

The Joy of Movement

Kelly McGonigal, 2019

Discover how movement can strengthen persistence, belonging, expression, agency, purpose, and hope while honoring individual ability, evidence limits, and the need for support.

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7 parts, about 19 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Argues that movement rewards persistence, connection, hope and courage, and that much of its joy comes through other people
  • Helps you pick a kind of movement that fits your body and circumstances, instead of chasing a routine or a performance standard
  • Pairs lab studies with personal stories and keeps stating what the evidence can and cannot prove about mental health

Who it is for

  • People who dread exercise and want a gentler way in
  • Group fitness instructors and coaches building community
  • Readers living with illness, injury or grief who want to move again

What the summary covers

  1. Why Movement Can Feel Like Courage2 min
  2. Persistence Becomes Attachment4 min
  3. Moving Together Changes the Meaning of Effort3 min
  4. Music, Agency, and Embodied Hope3 min
  5. Attention Opens Outward2 min
  6. Endurance Is Also Dependence3 min
  7. No Exercise Pill Can Contain the Whole Experience2 min

Recommended by

  • Brad StulbergAuthor and columnist at Outside Magazine
    Kelly has written a fascinating book that is a must-read for everyone, really.
  • Alex HutchinsonAuthor of Endure
    The Joy of Movement makes a compelling scientific case for the role of exercise in promoting pleasure, social connection, and hope.
  • John J. RateyAssociate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
    Kelly McGonigal brings us to the cutting edge of exercise neuroscience that greatly expands our understanding.

About the author

  • Kelly McGonigalHealth psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University
    • She earned a BA in psychology and a BS in mass communication at Boston University and a PhD at Stanford University.
    • She was chief editor of the peer reviewed International Journal of Yoga Therapy from 2005 to 2012.
    • Her 2013 TEDGlobal talk on stress has been viewed more than 30 million times on the TED website.
    • All of her books grew out of classes she has taught at Stanford University.
    • She began leading group exercise classes as a psychology graduate student and still teaches dance classes.
    • She helped create the Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training, a course now taught around the world.
    • Her work has been published in more than thirty languages.

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