Do What You Love

A while ago, Courteney wrote this post about fitness trends. At the time, it got me thinking about why I've stuck with running for so long. I'd tried other routines and exercises to get in shape before, but running was the first one that stuck. Now, with my calf issues, the post has also gotten me thinking about why the advice of "look into another sport" has made me irrationally stubborn and angry.

Unlike many running bloggers, I wasn't introduced to running at a young age; I didn't have the benefit of decades of experience that just makes it come naturally. I started running in graduate school with no idea that races even existed outside of high school and college.

Before running, I tested the fitness waters. I tried classes. I saw a personal trainer. I tried spin, hot yoga, weight-lifting, pilates...Nothing stuck. I would get bored or I'd hate the workout, and then I'd stop going. It's hard enough to motivate myself to start a workout I love, let alone one I dread!

And people might think that when you try something and you're not good at it, it's normal to hate it, but eventually the hate will dim and soon you'll be in a routine and you'll love it! I think that's true sometimes, but not always. Because even though running was (and still is) hard for me, something about it just automatically clicked. And despite doing circuits and other workouts for a solid year now with Elizabeth, I still don't love those the way I love running. In fact, I don't even really like them most of the time.

TBH, the best part of non-running workouts are these two!

I don't know if many people really just naturally love all kinds of exercise in general, but I'm sure those lucky people exist.

But if you're someone like me who wants to get active but it kind of goes against your nature, the best way to find success is to find something you actually enjoy. I think that's the downfall of most people who try to get active and give up; they just haven't found what they love.

You know that saying about finding a job you love means you never work a day in your life? I think the same goes for exercise. I don't like to work out, so I found a sport I love, and it feels like I don't have to work out a day in my life!

Do you like all workouts, or are you picky?

What is your favorite kind of exercise?

ABK

Body Acceptance

I recently read an article that attempted - awkwardly and unsuccessfully - to promote "body acceptance". After some reflection, I think maybe the article itself wasn't the problem; my outlook is.

You see, there's a fine line between accepting your body and ignoring it. Or maybe I should say "neglecting" it. After a drastic rise in eating disorders in the 90s and early 2000s, partly (and superficially) blamed on the "heroin chic" look of models, we've finally come to a point when young women are encouraged to accept their bodies and treat them well.

This is the kind of body acceptance I can happily get behind.

And of course I'm delighted and supportive of this. Like many women - hell, like many human beings - eating disorders have touched my life in many ways. I don't write this with flippancy, and I don't take the issue lightly either.

But I am uncomfortable with the fact that suddenly any encouragement of healthy lifestyles seems to fall into one end of the spectrum or the other. We see women and men forcing themselves to exercise beyond what is necessary or deemed healthy; we also see them turning their back on any kind of self-improvement and hiding behind "body acceptance".

Should we accept our bodies? That shouldn't even be a question. Our bodies are fascinating machines; they work in ways that, to me, sometimes seem almost magical. It's mind-blowing to know the details of how our systems work to moderate our breathing, our temperature, our blood-flow, our energy...How can anyone look at the trillions of cells working in harmony to create a human body not find it miraculous?

Nature and its inner workings never fail to leave me awe-struck.

Our bodies are capable of amazing things. Running has taught me that. History has taught me that. We are physically able to do so much, and we are only here living our lives because we have a body to live in. Our bodies deserve to be treated well, taken care of, and respected. This means our bodies deserve exercise.

So why do I feel so uncomfortable with "body acceptance"? It's probably because these days that seems to be a euphemism for avoiding exercise. More and more I'm seeing this weird battle about what makes a woman a "real" woman. It started as a way to empower those that didn't fit the ideal, which is something like 95% of us. But it's become an "us vs. them" mentality. To hear the rhetoric, either you're thin, fit, and smug about it, or you're overweight, sassy, and proud.

Exactly. Whatever floats your boat, ladies and gentlemen.

Fat-shaming and prejudice is despicable, whether a person is fat due to simple inactivity and overeating or a glandular disorder. I believe in loving our bodies as they are; I also believe in self-improvement.

I believe in pushing yourself to see what you can really be. I believe in testing the paradigms we surround ourselves with in order to test and realign our world-view and our idea of "normal".

Why is this a desirable mindset?

There has to be a balance between accepting our bodies, loving our bodies, and improving our bodies.

This is the same reason I feel uncomfortable when people talk about exercise as a form of bodily punishment, as if their body is a disappointment or a wayward animal that needs to be brought to heel.

Exercise has taught me to love and accept my body, not because it has changed my body, but because it has changed my mind.

I'm afraid I've written this whole thing and have no answers for myself. How do we balance body acceptance and improvement? How do we seek to "fix" ourselves while still loving ourselves? Why does "body acceptance" have to mean neglecting making healthy exercise and food choices?

I don't think it should.

And because I believe in staying positive, and I need to remind myself that not everyone out there has such a skewed outlook on health and what bodies "should" look like, here are links to two excellent articles about bodies and weight.

The Different Body Types of Olympic Athletes

Female Bodies: A Weighty Issue

What does "body acceptance" mean to you?
What are your thoughts on finding balance?

ABK