Social Workout

and so reality brings me the lululemon-less behind.

There's this very pretty young woman at my gym. Her body epitomizes what many women strive for - tall, very lean, with a tan that highlights just a little tone. I see her regularly at the gym, and have been for over a year. Occasionally, I used to look at her with slight envy, thinking how easy she must have it and how good she must feel in her skin.

Lately, however, as I work the 45 lbs. kettle bells or do my Trainer-Mike-approved, heart-pounding circuits, I've been noticing something entirely different. She works out with 5 lbs. dumbbells to do hip thrusts on her back. She never sweats. Or, even glistens for that matter. I've never seen her smile. I've seen her in the locker room, more than once, standing on the scale in her bra and thong for just-a-little too long, fidgeting with the lead until it measured her perfectly while she frowns.

Even though on some level I know this already, the reality hit me that it's simply not about what we look like. It's about how we feel. The empowerment that comes with being able to do a couple of unassisted pullups, by being able to run a half marathon, even from being called a "beast" by Trainer Mike, is like nothing else I've felt before.

So, yes, maybe she looks good in her cute little outfit... But you know what: I'm not weighing my worth by the meaningless number on that scale. I smile and laugh as Trainer Mike pushes me to my edge and sweat pours down my face. And, as a recent encounter in the locker room revealed: Unlike my pretty acquaintance, I don't need those lululemons to lift my assets, thank-you-very-much.