Hi!
Today I wanted to discuss something that’s frequently an internal conflict for me. I’ve spoken about my body image journey (I’ll like that blog post here!) & touched on how I want to work out to make myself feel good & to celebrate my body.
I’ve been struggling with that, especially when there are so many memes & posts out there about gaining “quarantine weight” & our jeans not fitting. I’ve noticed more negative thoughts about my body, & that combined with the feeling of being trapped inside is not the best. There are days where I don’t even feel motivated to shower or get dressed, let alone go work up a sweat.
So here’s a reminder for both of us: You are worth more than your weight. You are worth more than the number on your jeans. You are worth more than how your body looks on the outside. That goes for right now in quarantine, & it’ll still be true months from now.
I want to work out to keep my body moving, my heart pumping, & my mood lifted. But I’m not in a place mentally where that’s ALWAYS my motivation. On my worst days, I want to work out to lose 100 lbs because of a before/after picture I saw on Instagram. On my worst days, I want to work out because I ate too many quarantine snacks or leftover Easter candy & I’m feeling ashamed. On those days, I purposely haven’t been working out. Maybe that’s not the right approach (I’m definitely not an expert here!) but i don’t want my mind to associate working out with feelings of shame.
I’ve been trying to take advantage of my best days! Days where I wake up & spend some time in the sun, spend hours with my pets, or watch a funny movie. It’s those days that I want to work out for the right reasons. I’ve been putting fun dance videos on YouTube, stretching, going for walks, using my jump rope. Anything that gets my body moving & gets those endorphins going. On those days, I’m working out because it’s fun. I’m working out because I have a body that can dance & jump, so why not celebrate that?
I’m trying to give myself grace on my bad days & work out by doing things that make me happy on the good ones. I hope we can all learn to accept our bodies where they are right now; our bodies change, & particularly during times of stress, when we’re out of our usual routines.
Here’s to getting through another week of this weird time,
Danielle
Danielle Delgado 