Lift And Be Lifted

What is the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself?

Two years ago, I decided to take up resistance training, also known as “Lifting”.

Let me tell you. Lifting is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. It changed my life in so many ways.

For example.

Lifting has made shopping easier.

My favourite store in the world is Costco. All my necessities, and a little extra something-something, I can buy it there in bulk! However, hauling groceries into the house once I get home, not my favourite chore.

You see, I would have had 3000 steps already roaming around the store. Adding more to that, going back and forth from the car to the house is laborious. It’s even worse in the winter having to repeatedly shock your body with the wind chill going in and out of my warm home. First world problems, I know.

Since I started lifting, I built more muscles. The more muscles I had, the stronger I became. Which allowed me to carry more. Carrying more items meant fewer trips back and forth.

Lifting improved my functional mobility and thus, makes simple tasks like shopping easier.

Another benefit of lifting I discovered is that it provides a meditative outlet.

Meditating trains attention, and also helps achieve mental clarity and emotional calm. You can meditate using techniques such as mindfulness or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity.

When I lift, I am in my zone. There’s no room to think about anything else because you need to concentrate on your form, activate the right muscles, and accurately count repetitions. Whatever worries I had gets left behind. Gym time is my time.

It’s my version of meditation.

Through lifting, I get to meditate. I get to clear my head so I can function better and be more productive. And feel less stressed as well.

Perhaps the most crucial thing lifting has ever done for me is shifting my mindset towards my body.

As a woman, society had conditioned me to pine for their standards of beauty.

I grew up in an era where really skinny women were revered. The thinner, lighter you are, the more beautiful you’re supposed to be.

I measured my self-worth, my confidence, based on the numbers the scale showed me. It wasn’t a healthy way of thinking.

Now that I have found lifting, my mind shifted from hating how I looked, to revelling on what I can do. I felt pride each time I added more weights to my squats. I amaze myself whenever I surpass my personal best on chin-ups. Makes me feel like a badass.

Knowing that I am strong taught me to appreciate my body. Instead of depriving myself of food, I see it now as one to be nourished and be taken care of. I learned to love myself. And it’s liberating to finally accept who I am.

I am grateful that I have found lifting. Functionally, it made simple tasks easier like hauling groceries. Lifting allowed me to meditate so I can have a calm, clear head. And more importantly, lifting helped me gain a better relationship with my body.

If you’ve thought about starting your own fitness journey, I encourage you, just the way Nike would. Just do it. Give it a try. Lift. And be lifted.