Trust your body
Do you know what my favorite thing about lifting, about being athletic, about pushing my body to its limits, is?
It's not the way it makes me look at once more slender and more strong than the scale says I am.
It's not the confidence it gives me, the spring in my step, knowing that I can walk for miles and miles and deadlift a hundred and fifty pounds and defend myself if I have to.
No, it's that moment...that moment when you are hanging, suspended from the bar; that moment when the barbell is on your back and your butt is four inches off the ground; that moment when you are inches away from muscle failure but you go at it one more time and trust your body to respond.
That moment, that rush of endorphins, as the muscles of your arms and back contract and squeeze and struggle and pull you over the bar; as your legs and butt fight and force you upright. That moment, when you are in a compromising position, and your body saves you. Because you let it...because you have to.
In this modern world, when most of us have maligned, distrusted, deprived, and hated our bodies, lifting forces us to trust them to perform when called upon. And that, that is why I lift.
Why do you?
PS: If you forgot to check if you're the SKINNY winner, please do! I have not heard back from our lucky winner yet ;)
AHH I love this post so much. You hit the nail on the head for the reasons why I lift. Heck, I think you put a lot of lady lifters' thoughts into words. Thanks for the awesome, motivational post Sable! :)
ReplyDeletei loved your post, it was motivating as usual! i lift to pay attention to my body again. it's weird but during my ed & overexercising, i was getting on the treadmill to zone out & ignore my pain. when i lift i focus on my body - on it's power (or potential power) and on my reflection. i avoided the mirror when i was struggling with my body image but now i want to really LOOK at myself and to see it in a loving way. so i lift to re-center myself within my body and to love the space that i can take up in this world.
ReplyDeleteI so need to work out!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. I feel like that during body pump- sometimes I worry that I will drop the bar or something, but then I focus on all the muscles that are feeling strong and somehow I manage it.It is such a good feeling to complete something that is so hard.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one! I love your perspective. I lift because I enjoy that feeling of strength.
ReplyDeleteI love working out period. I love the endorphins and the high I get off a good workout! Best ever!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove ya girl!!!
I love this post!! I totally agree with what you said... and of course, the aesthetic and health benefits aren't exactly discouraging either ;) lifting is just a huge WIN all across the board!
ReplyDeletethe feeling of strength it one of the best feelings, its like LIFE in your muscles. Growing strong!
ReplyDeleteExactly! It may sound strange, but only recently did I understand that my body is the way I experience the world. Before, I always felt that it was the enemy.
ReplyDeleteSo totally agree. Lifting is the one constant thing I have in my life. It makes me feel strong and enpowered. No matter what happens, or how stressful my day is being able to see my body constantly get stronger makes me feel like I can take on anything. I love it!
ReplyDeleteOoooh Ali. That -- that separation between 'body' and 'self' is one of the themes of a book I'm reading right now -- "Wasted" by Marya....something. Starts with an "H." It's a memoir. Very very interesting!
ReplyDeletei'm stuck in a cardio rut - need to work my arms!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly who I am when my face is under the bar.
ReplyDeleteOften when I teach women how to bench press, they say something like, "I've never felt this kind of power before!" Yep, there's nothing like it.
Great post, Sable!
:-) Marion
You've described it beautifully. Celebrating our bodies for all the things it does for us and seeing it for the marvel it truly is always makes me more forgiving of myself in general. It's all in the attitude (and holy cow, I had no idea you lifted that much! Way to go!!)
ReplyDeleterush of endorphins <--AHHH! LOVE those :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Sable! Love it!
I love it all. The endorphins, the rush, the feeling of being strong and like I can do anything and most definitely for me, the confidence. I've never been a very confident person on the inside (still working on that) and knowing I'm pushing myself to my limits gives me that confidence.
ReplyDeleteLOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic!!! I am still learning to trust my body. It wasn't that long ago when I was so weak I could barely open a can. :)
ReplyDelete