My Fitness Truths

Posted: September 15, 2011 at 7:00 am

The fabulous women behind the website Fit Bottomed Girls have been doing a series called “My Fitness Truths”. I. Love. Them! Each one shows something different and it really got the wheels churning in my brain. What would I list out as my own personal fitness truths? Well, I will take a stab at it this fine morning!

I would rather look like I work for my body than starve for it.

I’ve done the deprivation thing and it’s not a good look for me. Every body is different, but I like a little muscle definition on my frame! Let Hollywood emphasize whatever they want…I’ll still feel proud of my arms.

My workouts aren’t social time. Well, besides at conferences. Open-mouthed smile

It’s my time to get alone with my thoughts…not chat with other moms at the gym.

Change begets change. You want progress? Push the limit. Switch it up. Go past the comfort zone. Don’t fear change. Change is good.

I love to sweat.

I know you don’t have to sweat for a good workout…but it sure feels good when you do.

My body deserves respect. It deserves care.

 source

God gave it to me to house something much more important…I better treat it well with nutritious foods and regular movement.

Yes, I like to workout. Yes, I like to eat healthy. That doesn’t mean I can’t also love on some frozen yogurt or enjoy a lazy day.

Healthy living is more than diet and workouts.

You won’t get to your deathbed wishing you weighed 10 pounds less or had a flatter stomach all those years ago. You will cast your thoughts to the love and memories you created. Don’t forget those in a fit, whole life.

Don’t. Give. Up. From escaping binge eating to racing a half marathon…don’t give up. You are stronger than you think.

And when all else fails, picture a “Hammer Time” flash mob. Winking smile

  • What would be one of your “fitness truths”?

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76 Comments to “My Fitness Truths”
  1. I love this!! I can relate to wanting to look like I worked for my body. Muscles are sexy!! Thanks for sharing and I might even do one of these myself 🙂

  2. Chase says:

    I love it! “I’d rather look like I worked for my body than starved for it.” I totally agree! 🙂

  3. Khushboo says:

    So true..I always remind myself of that when I think to choose working out over socialising….create memories that are actually meaningful! My fitness truth: something is better than nothing. Yes, ideally I should weight train at least 2x a week, but it’s not the end of the world if I run/cross train on that day instead! At least I’m up and moving!

  4. I LOVE this!!! I think I might do one as well! I am so with you on not socializing at the gym. I’m there to be alone with my thoughts, push my body, and sweat. I talk to people the other 17 hours in a day that I am awake!!

  5. Loved these! Amen to working for your body rather than starving for it! If I starved my body I would be a sad and miserable person. Muscles are hot! I don’t want to look “skinny”, I want to look healthy!

  6. SO true! I love the satisfaction that comes with completing a hard workout! 🙂

  7. Heather says:

    Love this post! I love the Nike saying “Strong is the new Sexy”! Muscles are hot. 🙂

  8. Great post! I love that quote too 🙂

  9. Tina, this is such a GREAT post!! Thanks so much for sharing. It is very inspiring!!

  10. one, i love you and this post is awesome 🙂 two, i’m going to copy you and say that i am going to steal your #1 for mine…i’ve done the starving look and the best i ever looked was when i started to gain muscle and look like the athlete that i am!

  11. Awesome post Tina :D. I love you! My fitness truths pretty much line up with all of yours…I think one I would add though is to listen to your body- know when you can push it and when you need to say ok, it’s time for some rest and recovery!

  12. Kelly says:

    I loved your first one, Tina!! 🙂

  13. Lee says:

    Muscles rock! I like for my workouts to be “me time” too. I think of a lot of blog content when I’m working out.

  14. I rather workout for my strong and sexy body than starve myself for it – so proud of my very healthy self now. 🙂

    Love this post Tina! xoxo from Trinidad

  15. Great post! We have pretty much the same fitness truths. One thing I believe in is finding activities you truly love. For me it’s hiking and barre workouts.

  16. “I would rather look like I work for my body than starve for it. ” Absolutely agree with this!!! I want people to look at me and think, “wow, she’s strong” NOT “wow, she’s skinny.”

  17. Stephanie says:

    This is such a positive, uplifting post!

    My fitness truth:

    I would much rather play than work.

    When it comes to fitness, I`m drawn towards activity-based fitness. I’d rather paddle a kayak then lift weights. I’d rather run around the park with the dog than step on the treadmill. I’d rather take a dance class than use an elliptical.

    • Tina says:

      Oh, I LOVE that! Much rather play than work. That is a great one. So true that we should be active in ways that make us happy and not torture us. 🙂

  18. I couldn’t agree more with the statement “my workouts aren’t social time.” SOO true! I don’t like going to the gym and having people chatting with me.. I need that time to destress and have me-time.

  19. Lisa says:

    I love that first picture of you, you look great! I agree too, I think looking strong and healthy is much more appealing than looking starved. And your two babies are beautiful if I haven’t already told you! Great post Tina!

  20. You mean yogurt isn’t a health food?!

  21. Suzanne says:

    Thank you…… I needed this. 🙂

  22. This is a great post Tina! I think one of my fitness truths would be…A workout that makes you happy is a good workout.

    I used to freak out that sometimes my workouts weren’t intense enough, long enough, or incorporating enough weights.

    Eventually I said screw it. If I want to do steady state on the elliptical for 30 minutes while watching TV and reading 5 magazines then so be it! Or if I just want to take a 20 minute jog or walk, then who cares?

    Working out isn’t always for losing weight or getting a better body. Sometimes it’s just to make you feel good or add a little pep in your step. Now that I’m pregnant I simply workout for a little energy boost and to support my health. It has NOTHING to do with maintaining or changing my figure. Puts things in perspective.

  23. I love this! I feel like my idea of healthy & how I should look has really changed over the last few months. I’m much less focused on numbers & being thin and more focused on how I feel. I’m just starting to see my body’s potential and learning to respect it.

  24. Another awesome post! I totally agree that healthy living goes way beyond food and exercise – it’s about life and enjoying the ride.

    My fitness truth: Small changes can really add up to something amazing.

  25. I love this post, and all of your fitness truths definitely ring true to me, too!

  26. I am with you on loving to sweat! And there is no feeling in the world like finishing a long run: things seem to make sense and you just have a great runner’s high that I cannot describe!

    Exercise is so much more than working your body, you are working your mind as well!

  27. Lauren says:

    Love this! It sounds gross – but I love the sweaty feeling after a workout. It means I worked hard! Workouts aren’t social time for me either, except the occasional run with a friend.

  28. jobo says:

    I want to print this out for my fridge. Seriously. Love.Every.Word. I’d rather look like I worked out, not starved myself. YES! And your last line? Perfect. Thank you Tina!

  29. Christy says:

    I couldn’t agree more with your first comment! “I would rather look like I work for my body than starve for it.” I hate the way Hollywood shows a picture of a regular woman and comments on how confident she is with her curves. What?! Are they implying that she shouldn’t be?? That she should only be happy with being stick thin? It makes my blood boil and feel extremely sad for girls growing up in today’s world.

    I love all my muscles and am proud to show them off. I work hard for those puppies!!

  30. I loved this post… so positive, encouraging, and inspiring. Thanks for sharing your fitness truths! One of my fitness truths: (similar to one of your’s) I’d much rather have my strong, athletic legs to allow me to go hiking and play sports with my husband and run for miles than to have scrawny, skinny legs that our society likes to encourage. (I need to remind myself of this when I’m feeling insecure about my legs!)

  31. Love, love, love the C.S. Lewis quote–and your fruit + weather + Christmas baking wish from the prior post!

  32. Love this! Each and every one. But I do have an addendum to loving to sweat – I sort of love that burning feeling when sweat gets in your eyes, especially on a hard run.

    One of my other fitness truths: Sometimes it’s fun to workout in your pajamas. In my living room, of course.

  33. Jess says:

    LOVE this!! I am totally “borrowing” this for a post of my own on this topic, I think. Such a great list – totally agree with every single one of your “truths”!

  34. I just want to say that you inspire me. You really do.

  35. I love this! I think one of mine would be “I am capable of so much more than I think I am.” Every time I pushed myself to a new fitness limit, I doubted myself from the beginning only to find out that I could meet (or exceed!) whatever goal it was I was working towards.

  36. Awesome post, Tina!! So inspriational!

  37. Fitness truth: your fitness routine does not need to look like any one else. Just keep things moving!

  38. mindy says:

    I love, love, love this post!!! 🙂

  39. Kara says:

    I love this post! I agree with most of them, except for not chatting while working out, I’m all about that. 🙂

    My workout truth is that “Pain is not scary”. I think a lot of people are scared of running further/faster because it’s uncomfortable/scary. Pain (some pain) is GOOD. It means you’re challenging your body.

    Also, you have to be down with pain to want to run 50 miles in one day. 🙂

  40. teresa says:

    Fabulous!!!! How do you do it? Every post is interesting. You are really meant to do this. You gave me some great thoughts to start my day with.
    Thank you!

    • Tina says:

      I 100% give credit to God as hoakey as that may sound. Sometimes I sit down with no clue what to write. I pray for God to help the words that I need to get out for others flows…and then BAM. I have gotten some of my favorite posts that way. 🙂

  41. hillary says:

    such a smart post! love what you say about wanting to look like you worked for your body vs. starved for it. i am with you on that one!!

  42. Amen to all the above!! I love having muscles too!

  43. Ally says:

    This is amazing and so inspirational. I need to make a list of my fitness truths to put on the fridge so I keep myself on track. I think my most important fitness truth is healthy living is more than diets and workouts. Healthy living is about being happy and enjoying life while maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

    That and I have an unhealthy obsession with froyo and ice cream 😉

  44. Love.this.post!!!! Especially this:

    Change begets change. You want progress? Push the limit. Switch it up. Go past the comfort zone. Don’t fear change. Change is good.

    Amen!

    P.S. – I want your arms. LOL

  45. I am 100% with you on the gym isn’t social time one. I hate when people try to have casual convos when I am in the middle of a set. I try not to be rude but sometimes it rough!
    One of my fitness truths is “only do what you love.” there are so many ways to exercise there is no point wasting time on things you don’t love. I hate step classes. I am not coordinated enough to do the moves:) it’s an awesome workout… Just not for me. I focus on doing exercises I love.

  46. I love this, and agree with you so much.
    I would so much rather have muscle than be skin and bone. That wasnt always the case, at one point I would have given up all my curves if it meant not having any fat on my body. Im so glad I got past that.

  47. Marg says:

    I love that quote – I would rather look like I work for my body than starve for it. I need to remember that at the gym tonight.

  48. Lisa says:

    LOVE this! I agree-my workouts are not social time. Once in awhile I do workout with friends but it’s not preferred. I like to go at my own pace, focus and get in a super good workout.

  49. Wow love this! My fitness (most recent) truth is: “Walking is good enough. Just move your body!” Because of reasons you know of I’ve taken a week off this week from exercising and next week I’m going to start doing walking as my main form of cardio. To stay fit, I just need to move, and that’s good enough, especially for the goal we want to make happen 🙂

    And I absolutely love this: “You won’t get to your deathbed wishing you weighed 10 pounds less or had a flatter stomach all those years ago. You will cast your thoughts to the love and memories you created. Don’t forget those in a fit, whole life.” Amen sista! 🙂

  50. This is great Tina! I love the statement that healthy living is more than diets and workouts with the picture of your family underneath…SO TRUE!

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