A close friend of mine asked me a very personal question
about my fitness and health. “Through your exercise, what size or weight are
you aiming to reach?” You should never
ask a lady her weight or size, it’s just impolite. But this was a good friend and I laughed because
I had fought with this issue for several years.
In my short lifetime, like many other women, I have battled with what my
“ideal” size and weight should be. I
have had the years where I went into healthy overdrive and shrank to an
unhealthy weight and I have had the years where a change in lifestyle and
stress level caused me to rise to an unhealthy weight. I know as women we change sizes so much and
let’s face it, it effects our self-esteem and our confidence. It’s ridiculous what women will put
themselves through in order to try to gain back their self-esteem. Then one brilliant day, I came to terms with
one outstanding revelation: no matter my shape, size or age, I will always be
ME, and I love ME, so why not just keep on being ME.
So, what’s my ideal size or weight? ME! I want to be a healthy ME. I want to be able to physically play sports
that I enjoy or go on a long walk without getting winded. I want to be able to eat chocolate cake
guilt-free but also make a healthy dish with vegetables and fruits. I want to go to the doctor for my yearly
physical (yes, I do those) and not fear my blood tests and heart checks because
I know I am in good health. I want to be able to run after the cows when they get out of the pen, to stop them from going onto the highway. I don’t want
my lifestyle to revolving around my workout schedule or feel like I am in
competition with other women. I want to
have the freedom to go on a leisurely Friday night walk with a friend but also
veg out on my couch and watch movies on a Saturday. I want to be able to put in my ear buds and enjoy a podcast and nature while out on a hike on a beautiful Tuesday night, after work. I want to use this time to collect my thoughts and get back in touch with my soul.
I have been doing a little bit more running
since it is finally nice outside again, and this is what I am
after. I want more of this! I have lowered my resting heart rate 10 beats per minute, to 52 beats per minute and I’ll bet my blood test is awesome. Have I lowered my weight or a pant size?
Nope, and that’s ok, because I want to like exercise and I want to look forward
to eating. Health is about balance. It is a balance of nutrition, fitness,
mental, social, and spiritual. Here’s to
your health journey, and finding an ideal size or weight for yourself!
