Weight Loss is NOT a big enough dream

thestrawberrysays

"Weight loss is not a big enough dream. I know you want to lose weight and it sucks being overweight, and I don't want to belittle this goal you have. But I want to help you see the big picture. When you only narrow in on weight loss, you kind of don't see the forest through the trees.
Look at it this way: you are on the hunt for the man of your dreams. Your future husband. And ALL you care about is one thing. You just want him to have a job. You don't care if he's sexy, or smart, or funny or any other criteria. All you want is for him to be employed. Well, it's the same thing with fitness. If you're just looking at it with one criteria, weight loss, you are cutting yourself off from a wealth of motivation and benefit.
I remember when I first started doing aerobics at age 14. I went to the class in my leotard and scrunchie and was like, "wow, look at all these people here to lose weight, alright"...but I learned that there were so many other reasons why I was there. And so many reasons why other people were there. It was fun, and it really elevated my mood, and it helped me sleep better at night. I felt a sense of community with the people in my class. I felt strong and like I looked better in my dresses and swore it was from aerobics. A lot of the reasons were physical, but a lot of them were a spiritual sense of having a connection with my body and feeling good about myself. When I felt good about myself, I did lose weight. I didn't even think I was losing it, it just happened because I was focused on other things.
So I want you to dream big. Care about weight loss, but pull away and do things for other reasons. Like, go for a walk just to get fresh air and clear your mind." --Ellen Barrett

(yes I know it's a long quote but I know if I just posted the link to video most people wouldn't watch it!)