As a personal trainer and a group fitness instructor I have repeatedly heard how I can’t understand their struggles because I’ve always been skinning.
I don’t disagree. I can’t understand the process of losing 20 plus pounds. I can’t understand the issue of easily gaining weight, and even harder to lose the weight. God made me different, but that doesn’t mean its been easy for me for my own health and fitness journey.
Sure I have a high metabolism and I ‘ve been “skinny” most of my life. But that doesn’t mean I was healthy or fit. Plus I hate the word skinny. Skinny denotes the idea of heathy or a nice body. And I disagree.
In the picture above, I see a mom who is at a healthy weight, but someone with rounded shoulder and no upper body strength. I felt weak, I dealt with neck pain and I had no clue why.
My health journey didn’t happen overnight nor was it easy. The last 15-years I have been slowly learning about nutrition, growing in my fitness abilities and skills, and learning about myself.
Our society tells us that skinny is healthy and I believed it for years. I thought I didn’t need to workout or watch my eating too much because I was skinny. Then after my first baby was born, I realized that I needed to do more than walk/run. The issue wasn’t the number on the scale being too high, but it was too low. I had lost weight and thus I had lost muscle.
I started going to the gym and I still focused on cardio. I was raised to believe that lifting weights weren’t for ladies. But when I realized that couldn’t do a push-up, that my lunges were shaky and gosh, I couldn’t do more than 3 burpees that I needed to change my routine and outlook.
So I nervously entered the weight area. I was unbalanced with horrible form. Plus I couldn’t lift heavier than 8 pounds. The worst part was my anixety causing me to struggle to go out of my comfort zone.
I had a hard journey, but no one sees it. I understand that when you are in mist of beginning your new healthier lifestyle, it’s hard. You may want to resent those who are able to do things you can’t, but remember they all started from square one too.
I no longer see a “skinny” person and think they are healthy based on the fact that they aren’t overweight. If you’re exercising, changing your eating habits, working on your personal self and you feel good then guess what? You are kicking ass! This day, week or month may be a struggle, but the results are worth the pain.
Also I want to share that these past two years have been a hard journey. Before I became pregnant with our 3rd kid, I was at the top of my fitness game. I was feeling great and loving my results. Then I became pregnant and I felt like all that hard work went down the drain.
I feared that I wouldn’t be able to get back to this body or fitness level. I didn’t quit though. I worked out and taught fitness classes until the week I gave birth. It wasn’t easy but it paid off.
Maybe I didn’t bounce right back post baby, but I am proud to say I didn’t look bad either.
I treasure myself for my hard work and determination. I fail, I struggle and I am far from perfect.
Never underestimate a person because of their outward body or society’s predosposed beliefs. We can learn something for everyone. I am always open for you to teach me, but don’t assume you know my past.
