How I Changed My Outlook On Exercising
July 25, 2021
Laura Lee

In the past, I have already written here in length about my journey with exercising. See, for most of my life, I’ve had a tumultuous relationship with exercise. I couldn’t stand it. There were quite a few reasons why. But mostly, it was because I felt like it was a requirement, a must-do dictated by others. Also, I always felt like I wasn’t any “good” at it. I used to loath PE classes back in school as I felt compared to my classmates. Unfortunately, these feelings followed me into adulthood.

via Pexels

Even as a young adult, I hated going to the gym or fitness classes because I didn’t want people to see how “bad” I was at working out. In addition, I had my fair share of issues with food, which resulted in a twisted mindset regarding exercise. I inherently looked at exercise as a way to counter the food I consumed during the day or what I saw in the mirror. It took me a long time and many adjustments to change my outlook on working out – to not see it as disciplinary or a way to embarrass myself but as something that makes me feel good.

I remember I saw a shift in my outlook when a trainer once told me that exercise is meant to help our body reach its full potential – exercise is a celebration of what our body can do. We always think that exercise is for changing our body, not honoring how it is right now. I spent years thinking I was never “good enough” when it came to exercise, that exercise isn’t for me. But what if I were to look at exercise as a way to celebrate what my own body could do? Even if that changes every day.

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