My husband and I are on Day Four of the Insanity workout. It’s brutal and quite honestly the only reason I’m doing it is because he wanted to and I’m too damn competitive to let him workout without me. I’m not proud of that, but I’m all about honesty so there you have it. I’m abusing my body for forty minutes every day for the next 60 days because I’m a stubborn little b-i-t-c-h.
It’s gotten my thinking though, all this insanity,: this is why people yo-yo. We have an all or nothing attitude about fitness and weight loss in this country so we either go insane or we do nothing. Yes, the guys and ladies in this workout video have perfect bodies, but that isn’t the only way to be healthy and not having a perfect body shouldn’t stop you from using yours as much as possible.
I’m a size 12. Despite my healthy eating and regular exercise and over 30 pound weight loss, in the last year, I have lost one, yes one, clothes size. Apparently my waist (and hips and chest…) is also stubborn. I don’t look anything like those people in the exercise video but so far I’m keeping up with them. In any fashion industry publication I’d qualify as plus-size even though I can outlast my 6’3″ 100andskinny pound husband on a run and so far have been able to do at least as much as he can in these workouts that anyone will tell you are beyond-challenging.
I used to think if I didn’t or even couldn’t look like the trainers at my gym then why should I bother. I used to think if I did everything “right” and wasn’t a size four then why bother? Let me just have my ice-cream and evening on the couch with my favorite friend, the television.
Then I shook off all those expectations of what was supposed to happen when you ate well and exercised and just started nourishing my body and soul and everything was perfect. My “numbers” at the doctor are all near perfect, my immune system is pretty solid. I feel great and I’m mostly happy (everybody has days right?). I don’t count calories. I don’t exercise like a crazy person except under the duress of my husband’s wishes. (Kidding, Dear.) I live my life according to what I feel like I need and so far it’s working out great.
And I’m still a size twelve.
My mission as a coach is to get the word out to people that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I want my clients to see that perfect looks different on every body and that you don’t have to be a size 4 or working out every single minute of the day and eating kale in between to be healthy and happy and fit.
Regular girls can be healthy too. Even if they are, according to the world, plus-sized or, according to me, just plain normal.
P.S. Looking for more parenting guidance and tips for self-care? Check out From Chaos to Calm a guided training to help you feel better in this tough season.
