Some of the benefits of exercise include, relief from boredom, production of endorphins, decrease in stress, increased muscle mass, maintenance of bone density, heightened metabolism, increased caloric use and weight loss… and did I mention  FUN?

Start small but commit. Put it on the calendar. Get an exercise buddy. Be accountable to them and you. Get a trainer if you can. Even if all you can afford at the time is 1-3 sessions, get going! It will help you feel more comfortable in the gym which can be intimidating at first. If you are carrying the burden of many, many extra pounds, or have atrophied with age, you may think you can’t do this. Maybe not YET, but make a start. Sit in a chair and just move your foot up and down five times. Stand on one foot and lift your knee a few inches off the floor three times then switch. Build up. There is no reason to be trapped in a body that does not support a vibrant aliveness. But we have to start somewhere to change. That’s what I did.  I made a beginning. And then I “ran” with it. I got stronger and stronger until I can’t imagine living any other way.

I was so obese and out of shape that it was impossible to get a full lung full of air. I crawled over to the furniture to pull myself up from the floor. In fact, I avoided getting down there if I could so I wouldn’t embarrass myself. I still drive the same car 10 years later and (not sure what I was thinking). It is a tiny two door sporty thing with bucket seats. The buckets were not designed made for my size and shape. I have posted before and after photos of me driving so that you can see what is possible. I could only do as much as I could in the beginning. It wasn’t much but I was to build an inner empire one spiritual brick at a time.

I just want to take a moment here and acknowledge that our culture is riddled with ageism and fat shaming and at that size, I literally became invisible to myself and everyone else. I stopped looking at myself in the mirror or only from the neck up and because of my jaw line, my head seemed much easier to look at than the rest of me. Look back at my “before” photos. You will see what I mean. I felt that people stopped being as kind to me or opening doors or saying hello to me. Was that because I was invisible? Was that because I stopped seeing? Was that because I no longer had value in this society because I was fat? Or was it because I felt that way about myself and got back what I projected?

I will never know for sure but I can tell you that I have met beautiful “thick” (their word) women who loved themselves and owned their power and their allure. They were not sticks. They were not double zeros. To me they were heroes. They did not buy the crap about I am not worthy unless… (fill in the blank). They knew the truth that I somehow missed growing up. That they were beautiful souls and the shell was not the thing that dictated their happiness. That they are powerful and loveable and worthy in any shape or size. As are you.

Remember, exercise is not only good for your body, it is good for your heart, mind and emotional body as well.