Fresh Start Fitness

I grew up in the ‘90s with a lot of Disney movies and then cheesy teenager rom-coms. Have you ever noticed that the Disney princess or heroine is usually young and beautiful, and the villain might be old, ugly, or fat? The backbone of every great teen rom-com includes the main character getting a makeover, then getting the guy. I can remember hearing verbiage like, “If you are fat, no man will want to be with you.”

I didn’t realize until my mid-thirties that some of that rhetoric stuck with me and led me to believe that my body was for the purpose of attracting a man. If I wanted love, I had to be physically attractive. My body is for his pleasure.

During pregnancy, it added to the confusion that I was now sharing my body with another human. Then the baby is born but it still feels like my heart is just existing outside of my body. And breastfeeding— the baby is born but we are still connected, and physically dependent on my body. My body exists to make babies, deliver them, and feed them.

One of the unexpected psychological lessons I’ve learned from my fitness journey is that my health and fitness are mine and mine alone. I alone am responsible for what I eat and how I move. I deserve time to exercise because I am a human being and I deserve to be healthy and feel strong in my own body.

If my husband enjoys my body, it’s a bonus for him. If I enjoy my body— if I look in the mirror and feel proud of what I’ve accomplished, that’s the real magic. If my body disappoints me and I can’t make, deliver, or feed babies, it doesn’t take away from my worth or value as a woman. I can prioritize myself without being selfish, because my health is worth it! I can pursue boundaries to protect my health because it’s an amazing gift for me to enjoy.

Exercising to lose weight and change your appearance, especially if it’s to attract a man, is ‘90s rom-com and Disney movie bullshit. Exercising to be able to keep up with your kids and make them feel proud and be a positive example for them is noble, but still self-sacrificing. Exercising for YOU, for the way it makes you feel about YOURSELF, is when the stars align and you realize you are your own worthy, wonderful, beautiful, strong human being. You deserve to invest in yourself, for yourself. You’re worth it.