Well, $*#@, I Hate to Exercise

Do you think it’s weird that I totally LOVE to work out?

I do, too! It is weird. It is so, so weird.

Trust me when I say, I was NOT born this way.

I was a pretty *normal* little kid…active and happy, neither overweight nor underweight.

Then puberty hit. My body puffed up. I started using food to deal with my emotions. I no longer felt comfortable in my body AT ALL.

In junior high P.E. class we had to run (horrors!) 2.3 miles every other Friday. I dreaded that run and frequently came in dead last and exhausted.

I was so self-conscious that running, sports, any group physical activity became very uncomfortable for me.

As a cheerleader throughout high school, my weight struggles were impossible to hide. Sometimes I was at a normal/healthy weight (though not necessarily due to normal/healthy habits) and at other times I was overweight. It was embarrassing and I was ashamed.

By age 18 the shame had seriously damaged my self-esteem. I wasn’t having the sort of college experience I had imagined…I hid my body in baggy clothes and pretended that I didn’t care about looking good, wearing cute clothes, dating, etc.

Which was a lie--a big fat lie--because I did care.

That low point, however, was when I made a life-changing decision.

I made a decision that I would exercise in some form every single day for the rest of my life.

What? Every single day forever?? Isn't that a bit extreme?!

That decision stuck…amazingly! I became a person who works out every day. I began to see myself as a fit person.

And no, I don't think it is extreme to think in terms of moving my body every single day--I'm pretty sure that's what my body is designed to do.

(Full disclosure—yes, I have missed a day or two of working out in these past 30 years, but not many. It just doesn’t feel right for me to go without movement even if it's just a short walk.)

Still I did not, ahem, fall immediately in love with exercising. I simply saw it as a means to an end. I saw it as a way to lose weight, get healthier, and hopefully happier. I worked out because I wanted to experience the benefits of working out.

But somewhere along the way between the ages of 18 and 48, I did truly fall in love with moving my body. Exercise stopped being so tied to weight loss/weight management and more about the way it made me feel good in so many ways.

At some point I began to recognize and understand the following about moving my body:

• It is the ultimate stress reliever and mood booster

• I am strong and it feels good

• I enjoy the challenge of pushing my limits

• I feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish something hard

• It keeps me lithe and agile and is a true-blue fountain of youth

So why might this matter to you?

It matters if you see yourself as someone who hates to exercise; someone who is unathletic, overweight, and unhealthy…Or someone who doesn’t have the drive to stick to a commitment and make real, sustainable change.

Your perception of yourself can change and that, my friend, is a beautiful thing.

Decide who you want to be and act accordingly.

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