My body and I started as strangers.
During puberty, my curves arrived before everyone else’s. I tried, but I couldn’t fit into the brand jeans my friends wore. The fitting room became the place where I learned shame.
I stared at myself and thought: Why does my body feel like a problem everyone else has solved?
Then I found sports. Cheerleading. Running. Movement. And for the first time, exercise. But instead of learning strength or joy, I learned:
Work out so you can fit in.
I used exercise to shrink myself. To earn belonging. To make my body take up less space in the world.
Years later, I started unlearning those rules. I began moving because it felt good, not because I needed to fight myself.
I keep choosing curiosity over critique. And now I believe this fully:
I never needed to fit into the jeans. The world needed to make more room.
Today, I jumped rope because my body asked for it. I check in with myself each morning and choose movement based on what feels supportive. There’s rarely a plan these days, and that freedom feels like relief.
Jumping rope feels fun and exhilarating. A little silly but mostly playful. And it’s hard!
Movement like this reminds me that my body exists to feel alive. To move with rhythm. To participate in joy.
Put in your earbuds. Blast your favorite songs. Let the beat guide you.
Jump. Pause. Dance. Laugh. Mess up. Repeat.
I don’t need exercise to earn my worth. I move because I want to, not because I must.
Maybe one day, I’ll jump rope in the driveway, right out in the open, unfiltered, unshrunk, and entirely in my joy. For now, the garage is enough.
Movement is enough. I am enough.
Playlist:
Ordinary (feat. Luke Combs) live from Lollapalooza - Alex Warren
Love Letter (feat. The Knocks) - ODESZA
Don’t Worry - Lumine
FREE (The Blessed Madonna Remix) - Florence + The Machine
✨ If you’re unlearning, healing, and becoming, you’re in the right place. I’ll share my lived experiences and reflections, and I’d love to learn from yours, too. ✨
