I love to work out. But I am especially sensitive to the fact that the word"exercise" doesn't conjure up the most pleasant thoughts to people who do not regularly do it, or who have been told that they have to do it, or that they need to do it. Or who tried and were humiliated by some comment someone made when they did work up the nerve to go out and try it.
So instead of being one of those nutritionists who presents as someone who came out of the womb wearing Nikes, and serving only to further intimidate you from getting started, I thought I would tell you a little of my own story.
I have not always loved exercise. I have always loved books. My mom loves to tell the story about the time as a child when I was sitting cross-legged on the floor engrossed in reading something. She wanted to spank me for something I'd done, so she asked me to stand up. I did, she spanked me, and I sat down. I never stopped reading the entire time.
These days, being such a reader is what benefits all of you, because I share what I learn in my writing and teaching.
But in first grade, it didn't work out that way. I was always the last kid chosen for teams. I wasn't really encouraged to exercise because I was pegged early on as studious. So I didn't really have a lot of experiences to reinforce that it could be fun.
Fast forward to fourth grade. I joined a softball team. I struck out practically every time I was up, but looking back I think it was because I was so stressed out about failing at the plate that I actually struck out before I even stepped up to bat. The pitcher on that team was frustrated with me, probably because she saw me as dragging the team down. She started to tease me. Which only made things worse.
Finally, my dad told me to imagine that the softball was the pitcher's head. You know what? The next time I stepped up to bat I didn't just hit a home run…I hit a grand slam. I learned that people start to treat you differently when you prove them wrong. And when they had faith in me, and I started to have faith in myself, my batting average started to improve.
Since then, I've started trying different sports. And I learned, much to my surprise, that I'm actually kind of athletic. I don't just love skiing…I LOVE the moguls. I don't just love running, but I LOVE running long distances. There are some sports I don't like so much. But I am empowered now to say I don't like a certain sport, rather than say I don't like ALL sports because I didn't have fun with one.
Even though I now even have a master's degree in kinesiology, I still don't think of myself as an athlete. But I do like to learn and achieve, and sports has become a new place to apply those qualities.
These days, I'm working on my golf game. It's really challenging, but I love it exactly for that. I mentioned to a guy friend of mine that I didn't understand why more women don't play golf. His observation was that the many women he'd tried to interest in the sport were afraid to try it because they wouldn't be perfect the first time out. I can understand where some of these women come from, if their early experiences were like mine. What a loss, to let what other people told you about your athletic potential keep you from learning something with potential to be fun?
Are you keeping yourself from exercise because you don't view yourself as an athlete? Who decided that for you? Do they deserve to keep you from moving, today? Or achieving anything in life, for that matter?
Make this the day the one you put YOUR goals and dreams in charge of how you make decisions. You can be anyone you want to be…an athlete, a student, a friend…if you decide that's what you want to be.