Recently I read a post from Sandra at Absolutely Narcissism. It’s about starting a new revolution about fitness. It spoke to me deeply and I wanted to share her post (with permission of course!) with our Just.Be.Enough community.

A New Kind of Fitness Revolution | Just.Be.Enough.

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I strongly recommend reading her post, but if you don’t have the time, I’ll summarize:

We women shouldn’t beat ourselves up over not looking like a perfectly sculpted, hard-bodied woman. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t engage in fitness, however.

We should!

But our lives are often busy, complicated and filled with responsibilities that prevent us from taking on a fitness regime that is both unrealistic and unattainable.

Toward the end, Sandra shares this:

Once and for all, let’s stop sensationalizing bodies that clearly look the way they do because of LOADS of hard work and determination; hours at the gym; very regimented diets; hard work and discipline that is admirable, yes; but normal and conducive to the average North American’s lifestyle? Absolutely not.

Uh, yes. Can I get an AMEN to this?

Do you remember in June when I laid out my goals for the summer?

One of those goals had me going from “couch to 5k,” which is essentially progressing from non-runner to status to running the distance of a 5k.

It’s a 9-week training process.

Well, it’s taken me a little more than 9 weeks (12 if we’re counting), but this week I have achieved my goal. I can now run 30 minutes straight, without stopping and without dying.

I am so proud of myself! It’s been hard as hell and that is no understatement! It’s one of the reasons it’s taken 12 weeks instead of 9. There were weeks where I was so terrified to step it up to the next level I stayed at my current level an extra week.

But.I.did.it. And darnit – I should be proud of myself! I did it during the summer, with the kids at home and being a seemingly endless shuttle service for them and their activities and social lives.

And guess what? I don’t LOOK any different.

I don’t look hotter.

I don’t look hard-bodied.

I don’t even think I’ve lost any weight!

And I might have even picked up some acne from the sweating. Arguably, my physical looks have deteriorated a bit from my training.

But should I let that ruin my pride? That I accomplished something major this summer? Something that, no lie, I never thought I’d be able to do?

Should I be less happy or fulfilled because it didn’t turn me into a hard body?

No!

I should absolutely feel proud of my accomplishment. And like Sandra said, I’ve done something that’s made me a better person, that fits in with my “normal American lifestyle,” has made me feel more like a woman, and is TOTALLY ENOUGH for my life.

Kudos to me.

xo

Missy

About Missy


Missy Bedell blogs at Literal Mom where she encourages all parents to be thinking parents. She uses wit, humor and sometimes even tears to share her message. But above all that, there is hope, for our next generation. You can also find her on Twitter at @LiteralMom.

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