Sweaty Brings Sweetness
I used to hate workout and exercise so much! Since I was in elementary school, I always looked for reasons to skip sport lesson. Whether my stomach was empty due to forgetting breakfast, I got accident with my toes last night, or I got hurt for the menstruation period. If it was not for exam, I would dodge myself from exercise whenever possible.
Time goes by, I got married and then being blessed with such a beautiful daughter in the world. Nothing could compare my happiness for having this family, unless this motherhood’s life has drained all energy of mine. Then came the time when I felt I really disgusted my postpartum body, and I thought that I was not someone to be proud of.
Oh, God! So many dramas, tears, and conflicts contradictory in me. I blamed myself, my husband, society for judging women’s body, media that shaped the perfect body looks on women, and everything I could denounce. Yes, I was totally in high depression, though.
Until one day, my husband told me to do some workouts. At first, he promised me if I could return my weight to 50 kilograms, he would directly take me to Maldives for our next honeymoon. FYI, I gained 74 kilograms from 47 kilograms during pregnancy. Then after laboring and breastfeeding, my weight was stuck in 64 kilograms for 18 months.
Even though my husband never mocked my body, I wondered if he didn’t like it, so that he told me to lose weight. I confronted him directly, and all he said just, “I want you to be healthy and happy. Just do it for a month, Darling, and then decide it yourself!”
Okay, then! I agreed with his term. With high enthusiasm, he bought me some sport bras and pants, running shoes, and yoga mat with my favorite blue color. My sweet hubby… I really love you to the moon and back.
Anyway, I started to workout by downloading app in my Android, something worked for a total beginner and amateur like me. There were a lot of apps, and I downloaded three or four apps at the same time. If this didn’t work for me, I would uninstall and installed another app.
It was hard for me, even for doing a basic move like forearm plank for 30”. I thought my arms were going to break. Yet, the imagination of white sand, wave, and coconut trees on Maldives cheered me up to finish all the session on Day 1. I really sweat. But, hey! Why did I sense bliss and enjoyment after that?!
Unexpectedly, I did workout the next day, and the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that for seven consecutive days. Somehow, I felt amazing. I wasn’t too stressed. Before I exercised like this, I used to experience muscle spasm in the morning every time I woke up. But I no longer encounter it since I worked out regularly.
A month passed. I checked my weight has reduced 1.5 kilograms. I jumped like crazy. I was glad that I could move the scales to the left. However, what beyond my expectation was that I enjoyed all the processes without complaining. I appreciated myself more for the efforts I’ve made. My self-esteem increased, so did my confidence and the level of happiness. And yes, when you are delight, you can only bring pleasure for people around you. Exercise exhilarates me, the weight loss is the big bonus.
For now, I can’t stand a chance without being sweaty. Of course, there’s a time when I am sick and being lazy to move any single part of the body. But at least once a week, I must do plank or stretching. For a whole year, I successfully cut down my weight to 51 kilograms. Sometimes I gained weight. But it is never more than one kilogram which will be trimmed on the next week.
I do not chase the Maldives gift anymore (however I still hope my husband fulfills his promise when I get into 50 kilograms), because now I realize that sport gives me something more valuable: healthy and happiness. Just like what my husband has said. And this is the kind of my addiction, being sweaty!
Love,
Elle Zahra