Gym guilt

Whenever I hear people talking about what they're doing at the gym or how often they're going, I will always feel guilty for not pushing my body harder.

I want to be as healthy as I can be while looking my best. We all want to, right? I can have some really great streaks going on for me, going several times a week while walking my dog and feeling sore all over. But then when things come up and my streak breaks, I find myself not going for a very long time.

I don't consider myself to have a body goal, per say. My main goal, if any, is to keep my body moving while I sit at a desk or lie in bed for every other hour. My GP tells me I'm at the exact weight I should be, and that theoretically should be good enough for me. Despite this, I fluctuate between going to the gym to stay healthy and going to the gym to get skinnier.

It's too easy to feel guilty for not working as hard at the gym as everyone else is. I have several friends that go every day after a long day of school or work, and I can barely get myself to go at lunch time for 45 minutes. On my good weeks, I'd say I go to the gym three times, but it's more often than not only two.

I forget that exercise is not reserved for only when I'm at the gym. I essentially work out every day, if you count walking from the train station to the university, or standing on my feet for hours at work doing cardio. Working out doesn't have to make us buff or skinny. It can also just maintain the fitness that we already have.

Appearances can sometimes seem like they're everything. It's how we make first impressions of a person, after all. But in my opinion, trying to look good for the sake of first impressions doesn't sound like a deep and meaningful relationship, romantic or platonic, would come of it. It would only be skin deep, and that's not a relationship I want with anyone.

Your fitness should be for you only, and if you know you're in a healthy place, then celebrate! You're taking care of your body and it's one of the most important things to maintaining a healthy mind. Don't forget to reward yourself with a sneaky choccy here and there!