"All that anger, all that fear, all that negative energy, take it to the gym and spend it there. These things make great fuel. Let these things nourish you and not the other way around"
Some people will not understand your passion for the gym. They will not be able to understand the relationship you not only have with the gym but the relationship you have with yourself. You see, at first, it started off as something I “should be doing”. Going to the gym, put in some time doing cardio, lift some weights and call it a day. But it took on a whole different meaning once I actually got into it.
People ask me why I am so dedicated to the gym, or if I was doing it to lose weight, get a good summer body, or worse of all, if I was doing it to look good for someone else. NO. I am doing it for me, Just me. It saved me. It saved me from the stress, anxiety and everything else life throws at a person on a daily basis. Most importantly it saved me from the fear that I would never be good enough and taught me how to cope with the damaging body image issues I battle. Yes, the girl who writes about body positivity herself indeed has body image issues. And the gym was the first and only thing that has saved me from that.
When it's been a rough day, I go to the gym.
When I get an awful grade, I take it out at the gym.
When I feel like giving up, the gym shows me that I am capable of so much more.
And when my body is so damn tired mentally, physically and emotionally, the gym pushes me one more step to show me that I am so much stronger than I think.
So maybe you're reading this and thinking about your relationship with the gym. Maybe you have a good one and go all the time. Maybe you go a couple times a week, or maybe you do not go at all. Regardless, I am not here to preach to you about going to the gym to lose weight or get your dream body. I honestly could care less about all of that. But It saved me from the fears and doubts about everything in life. It saved me and helped me escape from the damamging mindset I once had.
I learned how strong I was. How much strength I was capable of. And I watched as I sweat away my fears, my stress, my bad days, my feelings of not being enough, and the emptiness that was inside. I filled it with positivity and most importantly self-respect. Maybe the gym will never be your thing, and that's completely okay. But I hope you find something that will save you from the craziness of life. Something that will remind you every day that you are strong enough and capable of so much more than you think. Something that shows you how to love yourself, for everything that you are.
