My entire life used to revolve around how I was going to get out of any type of physical activity.
Jumping rope today in gym? “Mom, I think I broke my ankle!”
“Eighth-grade soccer tournament? “Mrs. Ezell I need to go to the nurse. My cramps are just too bad to participate”
“Running the mile freshman year? “I think I’ll just walk my way to a C.”
I did not, under any circumstances, want to sweat, be short of breath, or uncomfortable in any way.
Then the worst thing in the world happened; I became so out of shape that I was hot when it was 30 degrees outside and would sweat uncontrollably, I was out of breath just walking to the school bus in the morning, and I was uncomfortable in every single way imaginable.
It’s scary when you’re eleven years old and diagnosed with high blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. It’s scary when you have knee problems at twelve years old. It’s scary to discover that your body is literally deteriorating at thirteen.
Those are health problems that my grandparents were dealing with. Why was I worrying about the same things in middle school?
I HATE TO EXERCISE. But I love to live.
I decided on August 17, 2007, while watching Sharpay Evans sing all about her “Fabulous” life, that I didn’t want to be uncomfortable in my body anymore.
Nine years and 115 pounds later and I need to let everyone in on a little secret…I STILL HATE WORKING OUT.
It’s awful, I hate the increase in heart rate, I hate being out of breath, I hate sweating, I hate when my body is sore, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.
The number one reason I work out is so that I’m more comfortable on a daily basis. (It’s embarrassing to walk up a set of stairs and be out of breath; let be honest, we’ve all been there.)
The second reason I work out is because I’m competitive AF. If you’re running on the treadmill next to me, there’s a 100% chance that we’re racing, and I really want to win.
The third reason I work out is because if I’m going to have huge thighs and big arms, then by goodness, they’re going to be big for a reason, and that reason will be muscle mass and not the Maker’s donut I eat every weekend.
My fourth, final, and probably most important reason I work out is because I LOVE TO EAT. I hate working out, BUT I LOVE TO EAT. And guess what? I was not blessed with Taylor Swift’s metabolism. I was blessed with my mother’s, and grandmother’s, and great-grandmother’s, and every other woman’s in my family who believes that you need carbs in every meal.
My metabolism is slower than a turtle running through peanut butter, which is a problem considering the amount of peanut butter, sans turtle, I eat on a daily basis.
Therefore I have to workout, I have to run, I have to squat, I have to learn how to use that weird machine at the gym that does that thing with your thighs, because I have to eat cake, and French fries, and ice cream, and I don’t want to have to worry about my health.
So next time that you're vegging out on the couch eating your fifth pizza for the week, think about your future, and maybe consider going for a run. You may be uncomfortable for 30 minutes, but I promise that it’s better than be uncomfortable for a lifetime.
