I Really, Really, Really Don’t Want to Workout, but I’m Going to Anyway

So much bo-po.…

So much bo-po.

How much do you love your body? On a scale of 1-10?

Don’t tell me, or anyone for that matter, just keep the number in mind.

I will say I’ve always been pretty happy with my body. It’s not my dream body. I’m still more Paula Deen than Emanuela de Paula, but it’s never really gotten me down, and I like to think I’m a total babe. I’ve never thought, ‘you cannot wear a bathing suit’, or ‘nice tree-trunk thighs’, and that’s great. I actually think that’s healthy.

BUT.

Even if I had struggled with those kinds of thoughts, or been the kid that was insecure about her size, I think the last few months would still have changed it.

I told you guys to think about how much you love your bodies. A few months ago I was totally okay with mine. A solid 7. Confident, but not cocky.

Well that’s over. I’m definitely a 10 now.

Or okay, 9.

I was feeling 10, but now I haven’t worked out for 2 weeks and I feel more like 9.

Anyway the point is, I have way better body positivity. And it’s all down to working out. I’m heavier than I’ve been in two years but I love this body. It’s strong. It’s sexy.

Every time I finish a workout I feel like a Mel Gibson in Braveheart, or like Gerard Butler in 300. In-freaking-vincible.

For those of you thinking body positivity is all about plus-size yogi on the beach or mermaid thighs, let me correct you. It’s a movement that was started to help stop people self-hating, to get them to value their beauty and “use their energy and intellect to make positive changes in their lives”.

Say goodbye to shame and guilt about your body, and hello to reimagining and redefining beauty.

So now it’s been two weeks since I last worked out (I wanted to take a break after my 10K) and I, 1) feel no shame or guilt over that (I made a decision to do so after all and I’m entitled to do so), and 2) despite having no desire to work out, am going to. Not because I have any kind of goal in mind, just because I want that body positivity up to 10 again (I guess that’s my goal then). I want to always feel like my best self, and I’ve realised working out does that for me.

I feel at my healthiest, my strongest, and my most confident, when I’m regularly working out. So I’m going to keep doing it. Why wouldn’t I?

/Femi, The Girl Who Hates Working Out

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