Look at me and you will see a petite, 105 lbs. blonde girl who just about hit the genetic lotto. Yes, everyone, I am naturally skinny with a metabolism faster than a Busta Rhyme’s rap. However, get to know me and you might just think the opposite.
work·out (noun): a practice or exercise to test or improve one’s fitness for athletic competition, ability, or performance
My definition of a workout: Chasing after an ice cream truck.
I have never really had a consistent workout regime in my adult life. Though incredibly athletic in my younger years (and still athletic naturally), the most I had ever done the past few years was run on the treadmill for 30 minutes or do a set of sit-ups and call it quits.
When it comes to my eating habits, I consider food to be an extremely important facet of my life. I don’t consider a meal complete unless dessert has been served. I can consume my daily amount of carbohydrates in one single sitting. I even enjoy Taco Bell sober *women everywhere gasp* and will make special trips from my house to Taco Bell just for a beloved Crunchwrap Supreme.
As you can now see, my lifestyle choices and eating habits have not been the most stellar – well, let’s be honest, they’ve SUCKED. If I had not been blessed with such a fast metabolism (S/O to my mother), I would be morbidly obese or dead by now. Just recently, though, I decided that enough was enough, and that being skinny does not excuse me from getting a solid workout in every day. Though I might look healthy on the outside, I was truly abusing my body on the inside.
Not knowing where to begin, I immediately conducted research online. I knew that the most important task for me was not to lose weight, but gain muscle mass and tone my overall body. I wrote down on a piece of paper exactly what I needed to do each day, which consisted of crunches, squats, planks, bench/leg press, dumbells, and sit-ups. Only once I started working out did I realize that so many positives would flourish. After a hard workout, I physically feel better. Any stress that I have seems to be lifted off my shoulders, and I always come out of a workout feeling happy and rejuvinated. In terms of eating habits, channeling my affinity for carbohydrates and junk food into an affinity for protein and veggies/fruit has left me with a stronger body as well as a stronger brain.
Moral of the story? If the naturally skinny girl with very little motivation and no prior fitness training can get herself to do it, then you can do it too. Working out is so much more than achieving a tiny waistband. If I did it for that reason, then I would have girls lining up down the street to slap me across the face and knock some sense into me, because the last thing I need is to lose weight. Overall, fitness is great for relieving stress, improving your mood, boosting energy, and oh yeah, giving you a kick @$$ bod that you can be proud of.
If I haven’t convinced you, then let Ryan Gosling.
Happy Workout, ladies!
Follow HCND on Twitter and Instagram (@hercampusnotredame), and like us on Facebook!