Monday Musings: Fitness Is For Everyone

I’m not proud of it, but yesterday I was a little too pushy with my friend about going to the gym. Not my best moment. It’s not that I think she’s fat; I don’t care about her weight. We all know by now that the gym isn’t some magical fat-melting activity anyway. What I do care about is how much better I’ve felt since making movement a regular part of my life, and I genuinely wish more people could experience that too.

Committing to movement has been one of the most empowering decisions I’ve ever made. It hasn’t just made me stronger; it’s completely changed how I feel in my own body. I never realized how much I had adapted to discomfort—to stiffness, to aching shoulders, to feeling sluggish—until one day, I just didn’t anymore. Movement gave me a sense of freedom I didn’t even know I was missing. My body felt lighter, stronger, more capable. And that shift? It wasn’t just physical. It changed how I saw myself.

I think a lot of women don’t realize how good they could feel if they allowed themselves to move more. I’m not talking about lifting insane amounts of weight or training like an athlete. Even simple, everyday movement like stretching in the morning, walking instead of doom scrolling, and doing a few jumping jacks when you need an energy boost can make a world of difference.

But I also understand why some women hesitate. We grow up with so many narratives about our bodies. We’re taught to be small, to take up less space, to see fitness as something only meant for a certain type of person. Athletic, disciplined, "not me." I think a lot of women internalize the idea that they just aren’t the kind of person who works out. And when you believe that about yourself, it’s hard to even start.

Before, I had this fixed idea of who I was. I saw myself as the creative, sensitive type, you know, someone who lived in books, in art, in deep conversations. The gym, in my mind, belonged to a completely different world. It was for the athletic and competitive people who cared about their looks and social status more than anything else. I didn’t think of fitness as something that could belong to me.

But the truth is, that was just a toxic narrative I had unknowingly absorbed from media. Growing up, I rarely saw examples of women who worked out simply to feel good, to be strong for themselves. It was always about being thin and hot. And because I didn’t see myself in that mold, I convinced myself that fitness wasn’t for me at all.

It took years to unlearn that mindset. Movement isn’t about fitting into a stereotype. It isn’t just for athletes, or for people obsessed with their bodies. It’s for everyone. Strength, energy, confidence—those things aren’t exclusive to a certain type of person. They’re available to anyone who’s willing to show up for themselves. And I wish I had known that sooner.

I wish more women could break through that mental block and experience what it’s like to feel strong, to feel free in their own bodies. Because the goal isn’t to look a certain way. The goal is to feel good. And we all deserve that.