What Exercise is About for Me
On January 23rd I achieved a celebrated milestone in the Peloton community: the century ride. It took me a little over two months of bike ownership to hit 100 rides and even though I felt uncomfortable celebrating myself, I chose a live ride with one of my favourite instructors and worked my butt off to hit a new personal best for total output. I took a sweaty selfie as proof and even though some might think it’s kind of gross, I’ve decided to share it in here for your viewing pleasure ;) It was the other photos I took after that ride that sparked the idea for this post.
As you can see, I don’t live in a small body right now. I’m sure people will make incorrect assumptions about my level of activity like they do for every other person who carries a lot of extra fat on their body. Here’s the thing, I have arrived at a place in my life where exercise is not about weight loss anymore. It’s about strength, endorphins, energy, happiness, stress-relief, and empowerment. Exercise used to be something that played a leading role in an obsessive routine to shrink my body so that I was physically acceptable in society’s standards, attractive to men, and worthy of achieving my dreams. Now it’s not. It’s not about weight loss at all, though I do know it can play a supporting role when paired with proper food intake. I exercise because it makes me feel good and I know I’m not alone in this amongst people living in larger bodies.
I celebrate my big legs for their power
I love to exercise and am grateful to have an easy opportunity to be active every single day with this bike. The Peloton app (which anyone can use) provides access to a variety of classes beyond cycling, so I customize my workout based on my mood, energy level and needs. It’s kept me motivated to be active more than anything ever especially on the days when I feel like doing nothing. Exercise should not feel like punishment, it should be enjoyable. If you’re struggling with being active, take some pressure off yourself and be realistic about your fitness goals. You do not need to and should not exercise every single day. If you prefer active rest days like I do, you can go for a walk, do a low impact or recovery ride, or practice restorative yoga. Find ways to move that YOU love and that are about goals that go beyond weight loss.
My current fitness obsession.
To be clear, I’m not dismissing the fact that the excess fat on my body right now is preventing me from living the healthiest and fittest life possible. That is a whole other topic and is actually about food and mental health, not exercise. Believe me, I am well aware and I know that it’s something I need to address, and I will. But for those of us who have used exercise to an extreme degree in pursuit of a smaller body, being able to focus on all of the other benefits it provides us is worth a celebration in itself. No matter what your body looks like.