Sweat

Let's get back to Fitness-post Mondays, shall we? I didn't feel I had much to offer in this category lately. I've told you I am no fitness guru, so take my words or leave them. But I am passionate about what I do, and while that makes me no expert, it is more than what some can say for why they participate in fitness.
 So, while life requires breaks occasionally from the routines- be it a fitness routine or a writing routine- it's always good to return to the roots of the passion.
 So, here I sit. No fitness guru, just a passionate woman with a dream in her heart.

                   Today's Topic of Choice? Sweat.

  If you have ever seen me post-run, you will know I do not sweat much when I run. I do, but in the lesser seen places, not the obvious ones you see most people dripping from post-run/workout.
  I have had many people say to me when I finish a race, "You're barely sweating, you could do another 13 miles!"
 I have to laugh at that one, though I suppose I can understand the humor behind it.
   My girlfriends, with whom I will occasionally run, will be dripping wet post run, as if they stepped out of a rainstorm, and I look as dry as a fresh towel.

 
 But yesterday, I varied up my routine and took an afternoon run. While this was out of the normal for me, I loved it. The sun was warm, and the more I ran, the more the sweat formed on my skin. And I thought to myself how much I love sweating.
  Most women would never say that.
 
 But let me explain.

 Sweat lets me know I am working hard.

  Sweat produces results.

  Sweat is more than my body just saying "I'm hot", but it's telling me keep pushing... this is good.

 Sweat that trickles down my skin, the body's natural way of cooling itself,  is a feeling I wouldn't trade during a good workout. Sweat tells me I'm pushing my natural limits and I'm succeeding through those pushes.

   Sweat rolling down the skin lets me know I am not a quitter.

 Sweat teaches me that I am capable of doing more than my mind thought ever possible.
 
   Like finishing a race...
     Like doing one extra lift set....
        Like biking an extra mile...
            Like pushing up the hill...
               Like planking for an extra 10 seconds....
                 Like one more set of stairs....
 Sweat teaches me to keep going when the minds says to quit.
   Sweat feels good.

 Sweat may not be the prettiest accessory or the most feminine experience, but it comes well earned.

 That's the fitness advice I have for today... appreciate your sweat.  Let it remind you that you are doing a good job. And the next time a person says ( or you think to yourself perhaps) "Gross, you're sweaty!"  Smile and say "Thank you!" Because you earned it.