As an obese person, you are so limited. Your overweight body is essentially a really small jail cell. Yeah you are mobile, but only in the most basic sense. You dropped that thing you were holding, it is a chore to bend down and get it. You need to get to the other side of that tight squeeze through, you are in fear of getting stuck or breaking whatever it is you are trying to get around. You are in a situation that might require you to scoot away quickly? You KNOW that you can't do that and have to pray for the best. I use to always worry that what if my family's safety depended on my physical prowess? I knew for a fact that apart from God's blessings, I was not going to be handy in that department. That was seriously one of my motivating factors. So yesterday, I was actually walking for exercise, but it turns out oddly enough, the steep hills on my block are easier to run up than to walk up. So I was and this feeling of freedom hit me. I could feel my muscles doing their job and actually was aware of the existence of my abs and obliques and how effortlessly they were moving and twisting!! My legs were almost thanking me for the opportunity to move fast. I had to imagine it was how a person who just spent 20 years in jail feels when that gate closes behind them on release day and they get to take off to wherever they desire! I still to this day am in awe when I sit in a restaurant booth without my belly touching the table, or when I don't walk past that item on the floor, but pick it up immediately, or when I just get up out of my recliner rather than rocking back and forth to get the momentum, and yes, when I RUN. A year ago, these were all just pipe dreams but today, today they are my REALITY!
Great post. A fat body is truly a jail. As weight is lost and new abilities happen we are able to appreciate how much the old body was holding us back and how much the new body makes possible things that are so basic and freeing. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteI love this post Shane! So true, you can just do things you couldn't before. I LOVE knowing that if I want to run or jump or walk or swim or hike or WHATEVER I CAN. Or at least make a good go of it! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteI have friends and family who don't struggle with weight who say they work out so they can eat whatever they want. For me, that's not true - I still have to watch my eating. I answer that I work out because I love the feeling of a competent body that will react when I need it to, with strength and endurance. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI often thought, too, about my family's safety or even my own if there was an emergency. How could i physically help them or even myself. While I am not there, yet, I will be.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It is a whole new life for you now.