Recently I read a post from Sandra at Absolutely Narcissism. It’s about starting a new revolution about fitness. It spoke to me deeply and I wanted to share her post (with permission of course!) with our Just.Be.Enough community.
I strongly recommend reading her post, but if you don’t have the time, I’ll summarize:
We women shouldn’t beat ourselves up over not looking like a perfectly sculpted, hard-bodied woman. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t engage in fitness, however.
We should!
But our lives are often busy, complicated and filled with responsibilities that prevent us from taking on a fitness regime that is both unrealistic and unattainable.
Toward the end, Sandra shares this:
Once and for all, let’s stop sensationalizing bodies that clearly look the way they do because of LOADS of hard work and determination; hours at the gym; very regimented diets; hard work and discipline that is admirable, yes; but normal and conducive to the average North American’s lifestyle? Absolutely not.
Uh, yes. Can I get an AMEN to this?
Do you remember in June when I laid out my goals for the summer?
One of those goals had me going from “couch to 5k,” which is essentially progressing from non-runner to status to running the distance of a 5k.
It’s a 9-week training process.
Well, it’s taken me a little more than 9 weeks (12 if we’re counting), but this week I have achieved my goal. I can now run 30 minutes straight, without stopping and without dying.
I am so proud of myself! It’s been hard as hell and that is no understatement! It’s one of the reasons it’s taken 12 weeks instead of 9. There were weeks where I was so terrified to step it up to the next level I stayed at my current level an extra week.
But.I.did.it. And darnit – I should be proud of myself! I did it during the summer, with the kids at home and being a seemingly endless shuttle service for them and their activities and social lives.
And guess what? I don’t LOOK any different.
I don’t look hotter.
I don’t look hard-bodied.
I don’t even think I’ve lost any weight!
And I might have even picked up some acne from the sweating. Arguably, my physical looks have deteriorated a bit from my training.
But should I let that ruin my pride? That I accomplished something major this summer? Something that, no lie, I never thought I’d be able to do?
Should I be less happy or fulfilled because it didn’t turn me into a hard body?
No!
I should absolutely feel proud of my accomplishment. And like Sandra said, I’ve done something that’s made me a better person, that fits in with my “normal American lifestyle,” has made me feel more like a woman, and is TOTALLY ENOUGH for my life.
Kudos to me.
xo
Missy
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