Not for the scale, Do it for your soul

 For the women who do it all - And still move!

Photo by Darina Belonogova

Somewhere in my late teens, preparing to enter into adulthood and juggling ambitions and expectations from home and society, I had recently turned conscious about my looks and my few kilos extra than my famous peers. Being good at academics wasn't really helping here. As most of the teens and young adults out there, I just wanted to fit in and be liked.

That was when I took for any sort of exercise for the first time in my life, I wasn't a sports person either. All I knew was being good at behavior, responsibility, studies and finally making a decent career gives way to a happy life. Never really saw my parents take care of themselves or ask us to be health conscious or speak about the actual value of 'being healthy'. Being healthy was different for me every 5 years since then.

My first set of exercises was just stretching from head to toe and a few minutes of at place jogging. 20-25 minutes max before I had to rush for college. Yes I did start kind of dieting too which I was being told isn't good. But I was young so no advise that didn't sound to support me made any difference then. Attending to my body for 20 minutes a day made me felt good, active and NOT guilty. 

Another few years that was the only sort of exercise I did. There were no mobiles, not for me and no you tubes or insta to follow, so it was just what I felt I can do for my body to look good for my age. That was the only purpose back then.

Good few years later, I got married and we would go out for a long walk every evening n come back munching on some snacks on the way, almost daily. And as I conceived, my weight kept increasing for good. All I did for that year was eat healthy n what I felt like and be active in the house. 

My child turned 1, I was back to work, full time and also had a home, a kitchen, a family, a baby to look after. My body started issuing warnings and I knew I needed to get back to attending myself too. 20 minutes again whenever I could. With a tired sore body most of the days and sleep piling up, I did lose weight as I did my strength and energy. 

Now, well into my 40s, I’ve tried them all—cardio, brisk walking, yoga, Pilates, and even the odd dance workout I didn’t quite master but laughed through anyway. Each phase of life brought its own challenges and limitations...aches that refused to budge, schedules that weren’t mine to control, and emotional slumps I never saw coming. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned through the decades, is that some form of movement is as necessary to me as breathing.

Having stumbled into '@LeslieSansonesWalkatHome' at YouTube was a game changer in my mid 30's when I shifted to a work from home model and my child was old enough to let me be and have her own time. I could choose the energy, the length, the mood and take care of myself. 

Few years down the time lane, I could feel I needed something more, something different than the regular walks, stretches and my favorite Leslie. That was the time my girl in her mid teens introduced me to the Pilates concept and I recalled Yoga too. Since then I have tried a number of videos, channels, instructors on you tube and insta and I must tell you all are doing their part good, all I needed was to find which was best for me.

And finally I found Akshaya Agnes '@movewithagnes'. Her voice, her asanas, her speed was so much what I really needed. 

Another one that I have been following is Move With Nicole '@MoveWithNicole'.
I am so happy to have found them.

They cover it all, the good days, the bad days, the happy days, the sad days and the strength training my body craves for. Choosing my own workout style and routine for each day in the comfort of my room has been the best thing I have been doing for myself.

This isn’t about chasing a number on the scale anymore or trying to fit in. It’s about feeling fit now. My body, over the years, has whispered, nudged, and sometimes screamed at me..through fatigue, stiffness, sudden weight gain, or mysterious pains that came uninvited. Every time I  ignored those signs, it’s retaliated. And every time I’ve paid attention, it’s rewarded me in ways beyond just physical comfort.

It hasn’t always been easy. With changing jobs, a child who needed me more than I anticipated, at every phase of her growth, aging parents, and a home that didn’t clean itself, making time for myself wasn't easy. I’ve done yoga at 5 AM, walked while answering client calls, practiced Pilates on vacations because my back simply wouldn’t cooperate otherwise. Today in my mod 40's, I can't stretch through my week without at least 4-5 days of yoga, walk, pilates and occasional  short games of badminton or table tennis. The games are painful in regular.

So if you ask me today what fitness means to me, I’ll simply say this: take care of your body before it gets annoyed at your neglect. Because it will. And when it does, it won’t be subtle.

Start where you are. Start today. Walk if you can’t run. Stretch if you can’t lift. Breathe deeply. Dance foolishly. Move - because your body was made for it, and it’s the only one you’ve got. Don't forget to eat healthy, change your diets  with your age and body requirements, Include proteins ladies. Tend to yourselves while you can. Keep yourself fit enough to enjoy your life.

And someday, like me, you might look back and realize - through all the chaos, this was one of the few things you did just for you.

Sharing the names of the channels I follow hoping it would do some good to someone out here like it did to me. This is not an affiliate post at all.