I have a coworker who is extremely badass, mainly be cause she is so consistent with her workouts -- running outside in just about any weather and then coming inside to do a weights workout.
Last night, she was taking a break between her sets doing leg extensions and I noticed she was a bit exhausted. I had just finished my 5-mile run and stepped off to grap an antiseptic wipe to wipe down the elliptical. As I walked past her, I put my hand on her shoulder and said "You've got this."
"There has to be an easy way to do this!" she replied.
"Yeah, never putting it on in the first place."
"There's that."
"Or, taking it off while we were still young."
But every day she and I are at the gym, sweating at our own pace, trying to undo the damage that we did to our bodies. It might not be the "easy" way -- but it's the way that reminds us (1) how easy it was to put on the weight in the first place, (2) how easy it is to neglect our health, and (3) how much effort it takes to reverse the course and swing the momentum the other way.
I hate it when people look for "easy" -- pills, a fad diets, juice fasts, cleanses, magic workouts -- because it doesn't change the wiring in your brain. Do it the hard way. Sweat in places you didn't even think you could sweat. Have blisters pop mid-run. Have a spin bike seat make it so you can't walk right for days. Lift life you've never lifted before.
Feel the soreness associated with doing the work.
Feel the sense of accomplishment when you go one minute faster, ten feet further, or one pound heavier.
Let your body show your mind how it's done.
In my humble opinion, when you do it the "hard way" it's the testament to yourself and the world that you're worth doing the work, putting in the time, dedication, and focus, and more than anything, that the love you have for yourself is opening doors you never thought possible.
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About Robby
- Fat Girl vs. World
- I'm 39 and have been overweight or obese since I was 8 years old. This is my journey to change not only my body but my relationship with it. And who knows, I might even meet some people on their own journeys along the way. To contact me privately, email me at FatGirlvsWorld@gmail.com
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9 comments
sooooooo true! I spent decades of not caring, and now it's hard... I don't always trust my body, and I never like to feel discomfort. The mental part has become so evident to me lately.
ReplyAnd I don't "lose" easily - not that I have a lot to lose, but still.... So I focus on feeling better and being stronger - cuz I am!
xoxo
I've been a perfectionist most of my life and I realized that I've had to give that up if I want to succeed.
ReplyIt's a messy process full of starts, pauses, stops, regrouping, and feeling utterly lost. But fenen the days of feeling like I'm "failing" are better than the days when I did nothing and felt hopeless. I see the hope now.
And you're right -- the mental process of feeling better and stronger helps carry me through the days when I feel not-so-good or weak (mentally/physically).
LolaMako: First of all, it seems like you like Dolvett as much as I do :) (Hard work! Dedication!)
ReplyYou're so right that people want the magic solution. Truth be told, there have been times that I wanted it too. But in order to change your body, you have to change your brain, and change your life.
You can't keep on doing what you've always been doing and expect a different result. That's the definition of crazy, right?
I love what my BFF once told me -- she once said "you can do anything for 30 seconds" and when I got more confident, I'd start saying, "you can do anything for 2 minutes." It was re-training my brain to trust my body.
My doctor has been pushing for me to get gastric bypass surgery so that I drop weight faster due to my brain condition. I told her that I have it in me to do it on my own and since my eye surgery I'm not afraid of going blind for the time so its not like I have to "hurry" I'd rather work on my mind and body together and not have to play damage control once the weight is gone and the mind is still in shambles.
ReplyI remember being 185 7 years ago and I'd get that same thing. "PLEASE TELL ME YOU DID SOMETHING EASY." Fuck no, I went to the gym everyday and ate well. I got a sick satisfaction out of bursting their bubbles. XD
I like how you pointed out that this is a journey that isn't about the body, but about the mind as well!
ReplyEvery day when I am out there sweating from head to toe, I always have the thought of "there has to be an easier way". But there isn't. The only way is to keep moving, keep measuring food, keep hoping the scale moves in the right direction. If I had known it was going to be so hard I would have put down the bag of chips years ago!
ReplyKeep up the great work! We can all do this!
The diet/weight loss industry is worth billions...BILLIONS..because people are always looking for the easy way.
ReplyIf it isn't a pill or a new piece of fitness equipment, it's a diet where doctors ram a tube down the nose of their patient to feed them a ketogenic slurry of protein & fat.
What is wrong with us???
Just found your blog and i LOVE it!! You are super awesome and I totally love what your saying in this post, I am sweating it out 4 times a week at the gym just because I can't allow myself to take the easy way out!
ReplyYou rock!
xx
Colleen: eat the chips, but account for them, right? And know that nothing in that bag of chips can fix your heart or mind. Hard lessons, eh?
ReplyDoug: What's wrong with us? That's a post onto itself, really. I think that sometimes it's like alcoholics or addicts -- some people need to hit rock bottom before they realize they need help reshaping their lives and their behaviors. Sadly, the diet industry is all too happy to make it a soft landing and delay it a few years.
Gi: Welcome to my blog :) I hope you find it nice and comfy. I don't think there's an easy way out. Sometimes i say it just to make myself feel more badass, but there's heartache any way you do it. But when my heart is pounding, I don't feel heart ache, but very heart full.
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<3 Robby