8/18/2020 13 Comments Why Do You Workout?I have a question for you. Why do you work out? Tell me your honest answer.
I absolutely love working out! It makes me feel strong, the endorphin release boosts my mood, and it is a fun way to move my body. I like setting goals for myself, such as doing 30 solid pushups by the end of the summer, shaving one minute off my 5k time, and reaching a juggling high score. Working hard to reach these goals is exhilarating and satisfying as I accomplish them. I enjoy exercise for all of these reasons. However, based on conversations with other people, various social media videos, and advertisements, I have found that many people have other motives. When asked the same question I asked above, why do you work out?, responses could sound something like the following: to lose weight, to get abs, to get rid of love handles, and the list continues. I have seen many TikTok videos of girls saying, “This is a reminder to love yourself, but there is nothing wrong with wanting a bigger butt and slimmer waist,” or “Here is my exercise for easy weight loss.” When I hear these messages, I am screaming inside, NOOOOOO! There is so much I could say about loving yourself and wanting to lose weight, but that is a discussion for a whole other post. For right now, I want to focus on motives for exercise. Exercise should be done because you want to! If you don’t feel like it one day, then don’t. If you don’t like exercising, then don’t. If you want to exercise, then please do! But, I cannot stress this enough: Do. It. Because. You. Like. How. It. Makes. You. Feel. I completely understand the drive for wanting to workout to change the way your body looks. We live in a society that is focused on appearance and applauds perfectly toned and thin bodies (definitely a discussion for another post). If this is your motivation for exercise, it is understandable. Although it may be difficult in a world where Instagram “fat loss” or “perfect body” workouts are prevalent, I encourage you to view exercise not as a way to change your body, but as a way to feel good in the body you are in. Many exercise programs focus on working out for weight loss and aesthetic purposes, but this is not the intent of exercise. In fact, according to exercise.com, exercise dates back to 600 B.C. in ancient Greece, for the purposes of training to increase speed, endurance, and strength. Only recently have the aesthetic values of exercise been tagged along with that. Keep this in mind the next time you go to workout. Start your session with a goal of getting stronger, working hard, and feeling good about your body before you even begin moving. Also, what is exercise anyway? For most of us, our minds probably jump to thoughts of hitting the gym, lifting weights, a sprint class, and running multiple miles. Yes, these are forms of exercise. It is important to remember that dancing in front of your mirror to your favorite tunes, going through a calming yoga routine, playing and practicing your favorite sport, swimming in the pool with your friends, and walking around your neighborhood are all forms of exercise too. So, what’s the point, Madeleine? After reading this, I want you to rethink what you’ve been told and what you are seeing on social media about working out. Honor the signals your body is sending about how it wants to be moved. Exercise not because you want to look a certain way, but because you want to exercise. What are your thoughts on this topic? How do you like to move your body? What’s your favorite form of exercise? Let me know in the comments below!
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Ugh, I’m soooo bored! Have you said this recently? If so, it is totally normal and I can guarantee many other people have said the same thing. We are currently battling a pandemic and, by staying home and physically distancing, we are doing our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Nonetheless, with several places closed and restrictions on who we can see, it is not uncommon to get bored and not know what to do during these trying times. Even if you are not physically distancing, you can find this post helpful to make your summer and time during virtual learning more interesting. I enjoy keeping myself busy and always try to stay occupied. So, if you are looking to find ideas for some activities to do, you have come to the right place! Here is a list of things I have been doing over quarantine for fun and to stay busy.
What have you been up to over quarantine? If you try anything I have mentioned, let me know. Do you have any ideas we can add to the activity list? Comment below!
Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Multiple times we will be rejected, turned away, or not able to do something we really wanted to do. I hope everything goes right in all of your lives, but, for the times when it does not, I want you to know I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. If one opportunity ends, another one is right around the corner.
To give some examples, say you were rejected from your dream school, your boyfriend broke up with you, and you shattered your brand new phone. All of these seemingly devastating situations can create new opportunities. It may not feel like it at the moment, and it will take some perseverance, but you will find that all of the “bad” things that happened to you happened so you could learn and do better. Continuing on with the examples, you later attended a college where you had the best four years of your life, you met your future husband, and you realized that face to face interactions are ten million times better than communicating through text messages. Unfortunate events happen, but how you deal with them is up to you. At the moment, I am dealing with a setback of my own. Due to a temporary medical issue I have not been able to do high intensity exercise, including two of my favorite hobbies - running and playing soccer. I am entering my seventh month with this limitation and craving the day I will be able to get back on my game. It has been difficult missing soccer practice while my team is training and knowing that the great endurance and speed I built up over many years of work has been decreasing. Also, sweating and getting my heart rate up makes me feel strong and happy. I knew I couldn’t do this if I wanted to be healthy. I was faced with two options. How to handle this situation? I could spend my extra time watching YouTube videos and being disappointed, or I could try something new. Don’t get me wrong, I am still very disappointed about this setback, but I decided to make the most out of it. I replaced running with daily walks. These walks have given me the opportunity to talk to old friends on the phone and discover new podcasts. I wouldn’t have been able to do either of these things with my traditional running routine. Walking wasn’t enough for me though. I really missed soccer, but I couldn’t play. So, I became a coach! I am now an assistant coach for a girls soccer team in my area. It has been a great opportunity to look at soccer in a different way than what I have known all my life as a player. I am planning practices and giving the girls tips. It is empowering and rewarding to mentor younger girls who love the sport that I love. Even when I am able to play soccer again, I will continue coaching because it is a new way of leading that I hope to carry on even when I am an adult. Lastly, with more time to think and less time running and practicing (mixed with the additional time quarantine has given me) I was able to start working on my blog! I can replace the time I spent at soccer practices by writing more content, developing this creative platform, and connecting with my readers. My blog is something I cherish and I am thrilled to have finally made this idea reality after thinking about it for several years. So, that is my current setback, my seemingly devastating situation. Once my medical issues are resolved, I will be ecstatic to get back into soccer and running. For now, I have found new hobbies that will continue for a long time, and I have a new strength. I know that when the next challenging situation is thrown at me, I will be able to turn it into something positive. What setbacks are you dealing with right now? No matter how big or small they seem, I know you can find the light at the end of the tunnel. I know when it seems a door was slammed in your face, there is another one just waiting to be opened. 8/4/2020 5 Comments Here's to new beginningsHello everyone! Wow, here we are! The blog I have thought about for years is finally published. I am over the moon excited for this new endeavor and to share the journey with you.
My name is Madeleine. I am 16 years old and live in Maryland. I love to write and look forward to writing real and relatable (hence the blog name) content. I hope we can connect through this platform and grow to become a supportive online community. The launch of my blog is a new experience for me. I figured what better topic to write about in my first post than new beginnings and trying something different or outside your comfort zone. As I began to work toward my goal of creating a blog, I had many thoughts about whether or not I should go through with it. What if people don’t read my posts? What if it’s a waste of time? Should I do something else instead? Often when doing something outside your comfort zone or when you don’t know how something will play out, you may decide not to do it. It could be too much work, too unpredictable, or not go according to plan. I know, because I certainly had some of these thoughts. Anything you do potentially has consequences. I learned to examine the benefits and downsides that could result. For example, with my blog, although I had reasonable fears, the pros far outweighed the cons. Worst case scenario, it’s a flop? But, I had to look at all the potential! Blogging is something I have wanted to do for a long time. It gives me the platform to express my thoughts, hear from other people, and improve my writing. It can be a lot of fun and by starting my own blog I can put a check mark next to one of my biggest goals. I think the hardest part in taking on something new is “jumping off the diving board” and saying, “This is the day. Today I am going to do it!” Rolling with my diving board metaphor here, there are reasons to be scared - it’s really high up, you don’t want to slip, what if you get water up your nose - but after you jump, the fears will literally and figuratively wash away and you will end up having fun. So, let me ask you. What’s the diving board in your life at the moment? Is there something you’ve really been wanting to do, but just one thing holding you back? Go for it! The rewards are likely much greater than the risks. As I clicked the “publish” button for this website, I made my jump. I look forward to exploring the swimming pool I have just entered. Make your jump today! |
AuthorLover of adventures, traveling, family time, fashion, soccer, writing, and more, Madeleine is giving you all the real and relatable content you have been looking for. Archives
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