The cycle instructor told us, “If you don’t feel grateful for the added resistance, let it go”.
I’ve become someone who is very selective in what I choose to believe. Today’s day and age, everyone has their own truth and before I personally accept something as truth, I like to analyze. Dig deeper.
When I first heard her words, I thought it was a push for “putting yourself first” which is not something that I support. But then, I took a moment to reevaluate.
They’re actually very beautiful words and I wanted to share my thoughts.
Although the instructor didn’t expand upon her statement, I imagine that she was saying this as a reminder that we are honoring our body when we workout. Working out is not supposed to be a form of punishment or something that we do exclusively to change the way we look.
Our relationship with exercise and ability to push ourselves further should be something that we are grateful for. If we find ourselves ungrateful for making a workout more challenging, tone it back. Let the resistance go.
Working out should be something that we do to love our body, to show thanks for what our body can do, and honor the One who designed it.
Confession: I am not great at this. I go to the gym/workout about 6 times a week and while I do it because I love pushing my body to its potential, I also do it because there is a level of ungratefulness for the reflection I see in the mirror.
Body image is hard.
To put the instructor’s words into practice, I am going to consciously ask myself if I am grateful for what I am putting my body through. If the answer is no, I will try my best to let the resistance go.
