Liking my body is good enough for me

You gotta fight for your fitness everyday. Fitness is a constant battle, but it is worth it. - Rachel from Les Mills Combat work out DVDs.

For me it's not really about how I look in my jeans, although I would be lying if I didn't admit it's a very nice perk, but really it's about being healthy and FEELING GOOD. I love the way I feel after a work out. I love the soreness I feel in my muscles. It might be a little weird to some people, but I even like how sweaty I get when I've given it everything I've got. Yes, I also love the way my jeans fit. I feel proud of how hard I work to keep myself fit. Am I in the best shape of my life? HELL NO! BUT!!! I like my body and that is enough for me.

Sometimes when I am challenged by a certain exercise and I feel like I wanna give up, I imagine someone who is going through a difficult time. I imagine that their difficulty will be lessened if I am able to push through. I have held a plank position on elbows longer than I thought possible while contemplating my mother-in law when she was dealing with breast cancer.
I have done way more football conditioning drills than I thought possible, while imagining my son's life would be much easier if I continued. I've done more push ups in an effort to ease frustration in Keri's life. Today, I pushed myself beyond what I would have just for myself, on a rotating push up/side plank exercise for my niece, Audra and the list goes on and on.


There is no denying that exercise is a physical challenge, but WAY before it's a physical challenge, it's a mental one. There have been many days when I just could not get myself out of bed in time to work out, but I finally figured out the key to getting up when the alarm goes off. I ask myself a question in which I know my answer will be, YES!

Do you wanna work out? NO! Ok, let's sleep. FAIL! Do you wanna get up? NO! Ok, let's sleep. FAIL! Do you wanna be fit? YES! OK, get your ass out of bed! Do you wanna feel energetic today? YES! Ok, let's get our work out in this morning. I always feel so good when it's done. I love it!! No, not the work out, the feeling of being done. It is a constant battle, but it IS worth it.