I have come to embrace the idea of exercising in moderation. It wasn’t an easy lesson to learn, mainly because, let’s face it, being average doesn’t typically get you a gold star. When I stroll into the gym every couple of weeks, the manager—who’s an absolute gem—greets me with a touch of sarcasm, “Good to see you again, Mia.” And I totally get it! In the gym universe, I’m basically a raccoon: a little soft around the edges, a scavenger of sorts, and while I may not be a frequent visitor, my occasional appearance isn’t shocking to anyone. This used to make me feel guilty, but now? Not at all. In fact, I’ve realized that my new, more relaxed attitude toward fitness means I might finally have cracked the code on this whole health thing.
How I Got Here
Let me tell you how I got here. As a kid, I was pretty active, but once college hit, I made a serious commitment to smoking cigarettes. Oh boy, did I love to smoke! I knew it wasn’t good for me, but back in the ’80s, when I was a teenager, smoking was the norm. If you knew me, you knew I was a smoker—no athlete here. Asking me to run a mile felt as impossible as scaling Mount Everest. However, once I ditched the cigarettes, I figured it was time to put my fresh, smoke-free lungs to good use and test my cardiovascular limits. I signed up for a five-mile race and started training. Spoiler alert: it was a total disaster. I took off way too fast and had to pause before hitting the first mile, gasping for breath. It was a chaotic mix of sprinting and wheezing the entire race. But crossing that finish line? Pure euphoria.
I started signing up for more races, learning to pace myself as the miles became slightly less torturous. I even picked up speed! But here’s the kicker: I didn’t enjoy running at all—in fact, I kind of loathed it. So, as a reward for completing a race, I’d “take a break”—which meant practically doing nothing until I felt sluggish enough to register for another race. Not exactly the best strategy, right?
After becoming a mom, I thought the answer to shedding the baby weight was to set an even tougher goal, so I signed up for a sprint triathlon. I joined a women’s training group, bought a bike, and took classes on transitioning. I even did interval runs and brick workouts. Come race day, all that practice paid off—I did surprisingly well, despite a panic attack during the swim! I felt fit, strong, and muscular. Who doesn’t want that feeling? Naturally, I signed up for another triathlon right then and there. But guess what? The next race was a year away. Without a race looming over me, I fell back into my old habits of munching on M&M’s and potato chips, letting my workout gear gather dust for months. By spring, I was back at square one, starting the cycle all over again, race after race, each time with less training time and more resignation.
Over time, my workouts and races lost their sparkle. Any exercise I managed to squeeze into my busy schedule felt tainted by how poorly I stuck to a fitness routine. Each race just reminded me of my failures rather than my accomplishments. The last few races I completed were purely powered by willpower, and crossing the finish line, I was just relieved it was over.
A couple of years ago, I made a significant change: I stopped signing up for races, canceled my gym membership, and let myself gain 10 pounds. I thought I just didn’t have it in me to be an athlete anymore. And you know what? That’s true. I’m not an athlete, and I was wrong to think that being “fit” meant competing in races or amassing a collection of finisher medals. I’m in my mid-40s and have never truly been athletic, although I was blessed with a body that can fake it when I want to. But that’s not really the essence of exercise, is it? My goal is to stay healthy, and I can achieve that through simple changes like taking the stairs and adding more walking into my daily life. Plus, I can engage in activities that I actually enjoy, like my weekly yoga class, leisurely walks with friends, and jogging in the park when the weather cooperates. Sure, I might hit the gym for an hour when I find the time, but thinking about fitness in this way doesn’t earn me a medal, six-pack abs, or those toned arms you see on sitcom stars. What I really need is to keep my body functioning for many more decades, and it turns out that doing less and reducing the stress around exercise is the perfect workout for me.
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Summary
In my journey to embrace exercise in moderation, I’ve learned that fitness doesn’t need to be about rigorous races or strict regimens. Instead, I focus on enjoyable activities that keep me healthy and happy, proving that less can often be more when it comes to staying fit.