In the last few weeks I’ve had four or five people, unprompted, tell me that I look good or look fit or ask if I’ve lost weight. Normally, I don’t like people commenting on my body too much. My relationship with my body (like most people) is deeply personal: it’s been a battleground and a partner and something I’ve hated and something I’ve loved. I try to lean towards the love.
I think of what J.K. Rowling once said:
I’d rather [my daughters] were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before ‘thin’.
It’s more important to be to be kind and brave and living in my values than skinny. It’s more important to be healthy and strong than skinny. I’ve gotten so much more joy showing off muscle than I ever did buying a smaller size of jeans.
That said, I am a “words of affirmation” person and it is nice to get a small gold star. Mostly because I’m really working at being healthy.
Fitness is never going to be my number one priority: I’m probably not going to become a serial marathoner or go to obstacle course bootcamps on the weekend for fun. I’m not going to spend two hours a day at the gym. I’m not going to eat freaking kale. Sorry, I’m just not.
I talked about a few things I began last year (my year of Rhythm) that finally got me in a routine for fitness that I’ve been able to hold … longer than I’ve held one in a long time. Everyone’s different, but I wanted to expand and share what’s working for me:
- Go to the gym closest to my home and work. Literally minutes away. The strategy of convenience.
- Do something active every day, if I can, and never miss more than two days in a row. It’s so easy to break an exercise habit.
- Attend the free exercise classes. Zumba, Kickboxing Cardio, Boot Camp Conditioning, Cycling are all ones I attend at my gym (LA Fitness) weekly and at no cost. Once I’m in a class I know I’ll stay for the full hour and feed off the motivation of those around me. Plus I get a lot more bang for my buck out of $25/mo gym membership.
- Strength training (weights) + cardio = magic
- I still eat things I love but I’ve found things I love (like a club sandwich from Thundercloud Subs) that are healthier.
- I track everything I eat, good and bad, in MyFitnessPal.
- I don’t snack.
- I drink a hell of a lot less alcohol. Yeah, my tolerance is shit and I’ve been mourning that, but the calories I save and the energy I get back is awesome.
- I drink a hell of a lot more water. Turns out when I thought I was hungry I was just thirsty.
- Invest in good exercise clothes. I have four pairs of yoga pants from Outdoor Voices that I love.
- Track progress. I track my weight (weigh-in once a week) but I think it’s a good idea to track something, even if it’s just taking a picture each week/month. Once I started to see progress (in my weight and in my kickboxing moves), I became more committed to my routine.
I have been dedicated, but not militant. I still order pizza sometimes. I bought three boxes of girl scout cookies that are tempting me for dessert each night in my freezer (and often winning). But, as Gretchen Rubin says, it’s more important what you do every day than what you do once in a while.
Last thing, I don’t beat myself up. There’s no “perfect” version of my body and my health. Better, right now, works for me. And I’m doing better.
With Love,
Natalie