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Fitness as the unwitting act of shoving aside futility
I was shocked (but delighted) when my first weigh-in showed I had lost six pounds only one week into my current fitness regimen. As I told my Confidante, I had been expecting the scale to indicate no weight change whatsoever.
They asked me why this was, and I replied that deep down, I was somehow expecting this venture to be marked by a sense of futility. (I’ve often quipped, half-jokingly, that my Inner Critic has a gym membership. Half-jokingly, but also half-seriously.)
Among the things I appreciate most about my Confidante is that I know they truly have my best interests at heart, and that they are also blazingly smart and insightful. (They are also very humble, so I’m anticipating some push-back on the compliment once they read this.) Regarding the above mentality of mine, they said that the great thing about forcing yourself to engage in regular exercise and healthier eating is that it is the very act of shoving aside futility, even if you don’t consciously recognize it as such in the moment.
This observation gave me pause, as it spoke to the broader reasons for getting in shape — namely, that it isn’t just about the number on the scale or the…
