Kun keho kokee - Näkökulma-artikkeli liikkumiskäyttäytymisestä ja hankalista kehollisista kokemuksista

This multidisciplinary article examines embodied experiences, their formation, and their impact on physical activity. The body is conceptualized both as a biological entity governed by physiological principles and as a lived body – an embodied subjectivity that generates and carries lived experience within social and cultural orders. The article integrates individual-psychological and neurobiological perspectives with cultural and structural dimensions shaped by societal power relations. Negative emotions and bodily sensations, such as shame or feelings of inadequacy, may foster experiential avoidance of physical activity or lead to forms of movement that do not support wellbeing. Under stress, the central nervous system may become sensitized, interpreting ordinary situations as threatening. Meanings attributed to the body emerge through social interaction, social comparison, and media representations, where the body is often framed as an object to be improved and evaluated against external norms. Because a person’s relationship with their body is socially and culturally shaped, individual-level solutions alone are insufficient. Structural interventions are also needed to create safe and inclusive environments for physical activity. The article clarifies mechanisms underlying experiential avoidance and argues that physical activity promotion should more systematically recognize embodied experience as a basis for ethically sustainable practice.