Confessions of a Gym Class Dropout

This tank pretty much sums up my entire high school athletic career....

So yesterday marked my 8 year "fitness" anniversary.  I remember the day well...April 15, 2004.  I tried on my largest and most comfy jeans, and they didn't fit.  I had steadily put on weight my entire life and recently entered the "overweight" category.  I had never been one for working out, except for brief stints associated with going on a diet.  And I usually just ate large quantities of whatever I wanted.  It was no shock that I had started growing as an infant and never stopped, despite the fact that I was now in my twenties.  It was time to do something.  

I didn't turn into a fitness fanatic overnight.  I started out simply by walking.  In fact, I lost 20 pounds before I ever got the inclination to jog.   And over time, I did start to run a little bit.  Eventually I ran a 2 mile race, and then a 5K, and finally a couple of half marathons. It took a few years before I discovered strength training.  The first day that I tried to do a push up on my toes, I couldn't even get through one.  A friend invited me to a circuit style class, and I remember hanging from a low bar and having to pull myself up.  I couldn't do it - I was shocked at my complete lack of upper body strength.

Now, looking back, the girl who started by walking around her neighborhood everyday after work is almost unrecognizable to me.  It took awhile for me to appreciate how good it feels to work REALLY hard.  Now I can churn out a couple dozen push ups instead of one.  I can run for miles instead of minutes.  I got that tank top in the photo for Christmas this year.  And I love it because I really was that girl.  I dreaded gym class more than going to the dentist, and nobody ever wanted me on their team. But it is possible for the bookworm who never lifted anything heavier than a backpack to lift her own body weight.

I think we have a tendency to see ourselves in a certain way.  For the first 25 years of my life, I saw myself as the "smart" girl, but not as an athletic one.  Even after I started to get active, I would have never imagined myself as a runner.  But we are not destined to be only one or the other: smart or fit; a reader or a runner; a thinker or a lifter.   And we have the power to change how we see ourselves....

Sincerely,
The Girl Picked Last in Gym  :)