Let's talk: Fitness

I'd like to start off by saying that I love this new societal movement of accepting one's body type and being body positive. But remember that different body types means some people are thin and some are thicker. In other words, don't hate me because of the subject of this post.

I say this because my mother is a huge health nut and I've lost weight even without working out because nothing in my house is processed. She can preach to you for hours about how food is super important for overall health and wellness and that's true--but that will be a different post on a different day. Today, I just want to talk about my journey with exercise and how I grew to love it.

During the last 3-4 months of university, I spent almost every day at the gym lifting weights with my amateur trainer/friend Caitlyn who has an inspiring body. But before then, I was working my butt off with cardio machines and Zumba classes. What can I say? I love to sweat.

Now that I am at home, my routine has changed. I was running with my mom often (but not as often as I'd like), but even that ended because it's hurricane season in Miami--in other words, it literally rains every day. And yes, LITERALLY being used for its accurate grammatical purpose. What did we decide to do? We found an amazing YouTube video by Jillian Michaels called "6 Week Six Pack Abs Workout." Let me tell you, it makes you sweat bullets. She combines cardio with numerous different ab-centric exercises to help you burn fat and get killer abs. I can already see my body changing and we are only 8 days in. I highly recommend it!

I would love to find a gym at the end of these 6 weeks, but I am still in that post-grad unemployment period of my life, so exercising at home is my most economical option right now. But the great news is that we need in an era where that is possible!

Now, to the point of this post:
While working out to this video that kicks my butt every single day, I realized how much I love how independent one's health and fitness is. Don't get me wrong, nothing makes working out and eating healthy easier than doing it with partners, but at the end of the day, the person getting fit and purifying their body is YOU. Your friends can eat that chocolate bar after the workout and it doesn't affect you, in the same way that your "mistakes" or "cheats" do not affect them. (By the way, I hate the use of those words. Indulging yourself with a sweet should not bring on the kind of guilt that those words imply. The key is to keep them as an indulgence and not a habit)

I love how the ache in your legs after 40 squats or in your abs after 30 seconds in a plank is a completely solitary feeling. I love that no one can psyche you out but yourself, no one can push you harder than yourself, and no one else can stop you.

Every time I am working out to this video and I just want to lay on the floor and give Jillian the finger for bringing me such temporary agony, I remember that this feeling is actually amazing. I am healthy, I am getting healthier and I can feel myself getting stronger, having more energy, and being more positive.

That is why I wanted to write this post. I want to let people know that fitness and "getting fit" isn't just about how you'll look in a bikini--that's just a plus!--it's about how you feel. It's about learning to love yourself and getting to know your body. It's about learning how to push yourself and be an independent person. Fitness is about YOU.

Fitness is about YOU.