A Journey To Honor Myself

If you had asked me before I dove into fitness, “When was the first time I took a journey to honor who I am?”, I would have told you, “I am really not sure.”

What I can tell you, is that my fitness journey taught me more about myself than I could have ever imagined.

I had a lot of things going on in my late 20s before I fully invested in myself and fitness. I felt like I lacked control of my physical well being and was maneuvering through life in a melancholy state. I had low self-esteem and was more accepting of other people who looked unlike me. It was like giving someone else the pedestal or lead and I would just follow. I think it had to do more with the expected social norms and I couldn’t seem to shake loose from it. My insecurities became so unsettling they literally weakened my spirits. As I think about all this, I know now three decades later and through discussion with others, that we are just prone to focus so much on what we are not, instead of on our positives and unique selves. I’m really glad that I became aware of this negative thinking early on, yearning for a change. To surmount it all, I had to deal with a medical concern that kept my mind racing and seeking how in the world can I control the inevitable progressions that were told to me that could follow.

So I took it upon myself to make a change for me. I said let’s start with the latter, my health. I took the initiative and joined a gym in hopes that if I became more physically active my medical concerns would lessen. The good news is that it did along with me gaining some other wins too. I felt happier after my workouts and more grounded. I had greater energy and wanted to do more, like venture out to travel and explore. I cared less about focusing on other people and realized I was spending quality time on myself. All this with consistency, led me to a greater sense of self-worth, mental clarity and a sound ownership of my body.

Working out, I kid you not, seemed to aid in helping me deal with everything else I was going through. It provided an outlet to release stored energy, it gave me an opportunity to know myself from within by listening to my breath, noting my heartbeat and owning the stress on my muscles. I found joy in mixing up my workouts and using various equipment to hone in on the benefits. I did cardio to tune into my breathing patterns and rhythms. I lifted weights on my moderate intensity and heavy days to focus on my muscles and feel them engage and act on the necessary joints to perform their expected activity. It all made me feel so alive and proud to be my human self. I was amazed with my capabilities and I felt a great deal of satisfaction with every workout. What an energetic feeling it gave! It made me love and respect my body in a way I hadn’t done before. Strength training in itself, went beyond the superficial for me. Now don’t get me wrong, I liked the way it transformed my body but my gains in mental toughness were even more invaluable. It helped me understand that I could develop strength where I was weak. The more I knew about myself, the more I owned my actions and it allowed me to grow further.

So I will wrap it up and say that my fitness journey led me to honoring myself. It took me on a journey to explore my physical capabilities. I now workout regularly and treat each experience as a personal gift to myself. It’s an instant mood boost with wellness benefits all in a neat package. It can be a way to spend your own "me time", a space to clear your mind and to center yourself. To this date with 20+ years of practice, I confidently lead inspirational and energetic classes so that others may honor themselves too. All this makes me happy because I get to pass it forward.

As for my medical concerns, all is much better and I am at ease. I have been keeping my body in a healthy state so I can continue to live well.

I believe to be strong, driven and fully accepting of our unique selves is everything! I encourage that we all honor ourselves. One way is to do it through movement like I did. I’m sure your experience will be personally rewarding in its own incredible magnitude. There is only one of you so make the most of your greatness! Love who you are and what you can do with your own positive will.

Marie Jasmin Cataudella is a NYC based ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor and NCSF Certified Personal Trainer. She coaches to body harmony, health and growth with a personal style that is fun, motivating and inspiring. Her classes, given both live and virtually will leave you filled with deepened self love, self trust and magnified stability.

website: http://mariejasminfitness.com Instagram: @workoutwithmariejasmin @mariecataudella Facebook: mariejasmincataudella