The Question That Finally Motivated Me to Hit the Gym

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I was getting ready the other day when my 7-year-old daughter, Lily, suddenly gasped, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at my legs. Naturally, my hypochondriac instincts kicked in, and I blurted, “What’s wrong?!”

“There are bumps all over your legs,” she exclaimed. “Are you okay? Should we go to the hospital?”

I chuckled, “Oh, that’s just cellulite!” Then I joked, “Don’t worry; it runs in the family.” Unfortunately, she didn’t find the humor.

This was clearly one of those teachable moments about body image, but I got distracted by my reflection in the unforgiving bathroom lighting, questioning if I needed medical attention instead.

“What is it and why do you have it?” she asked, genuinely concerned.

“It’s fine! It’s just stored energy for when you need it,” I replied.

“Stored energy?” Her skepticism was palpable.

“Um, it’s like air bubbles under your skin.”

“Air bubbles?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure what it really is. Let’s not fret about it.”

But now she was worried, and that made me uneasy too. Suddenly, I felt compelled to change something I had never cared to change before.

“Can you make it go away?” she pressed.

“I suppose if I went to the gym…”

“Why not go to the gym?”

“Because…”

“We have a gym in our building, and you have workout clothes. You can go when I’m at school!”

“BA-BAM,” I realized — she just handed me a dose of reality straight from the treadmill.

I thought about all the lame excuses I usually gave for skipping the gym. My blender is in storage, exercise makes my rosacea flare up, I need to lose ten pounds to fit into my trendy leggings, I don’t have a BPA-free water bottle, I didn’t shave my legs, I need supportive sneakers, I don’t have a killer playlist, there’s the dog to walk, Target to visit, and let’s not even mention the mountains of laundry.

I considered confessing that I wasn’t sure the gym would do anything for my cellulite, but then I remembered Lily saying, “I have the biggest legs in my class, even bigger than the boys.” That hit hard.

It’s a scary and heartbreaking thought. She’s worried about her own legs now, and I never thought about my body that way. I tell her it’s okay, that she’s perfect just the way she is, and nobody’s life is at stake over a little cellulite.

So, I laid out my gym clothes for the next morning.

If you want to read more about navigating motherhood and body image, check out this post on our blog. And if you’re curious about pregnancy and fertility, the CDC provides excellent resources on various topics, including home insemination.

In summary, after a moment of reflection prompted by my daughter, I decided it was time to stop making excuses and finally hit the gym. After all, setting a good example is essential, especially when our little ones start worrying about their own bodies.