It was Saturday night. We had just got the boy off to bed and were preparing to hunker down for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals. I started clearing the living room floor of Little People, giant plush dogs and a multitude of socks; a clear sign that I was intending to do a workout video.
“Are you planning to do 30 Day Shred?” he asked me.
“Yup”. I answered. There was still an hour to go before the hockey game would start. And for the past 18 days I had only taken two days off from working out. I was on a roll.
As I walked into the bedroom to change out of my jeans and into my yoga pants, tank top and sneakers, I heard these words:
“I’m proud of you.”
I stopped dead in my tracks, backed out of the hallway and responded with “What did you say?”. I had heard him. I just wanted to hear it again.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m really proud of you” he repeated.
My husband has always been particularly encouraging about healthy eating and getting exercise while not making me feel self conscious about my body. But those words he said…
They’re potent.
Pride is something that can often be found from within, sometimes blossoming into something productive and other times creating a monstrosity. But when those words are uttered by someone else, the feeling created is somehow realer; truer; purer.
Words spoken: sounds and syllables strung together to create power. When those words hit my ears, I was granted such physical strength. I was not just able, I was excited to work out. I was energized for my workout video that night and for my run the next morning.
My husband did that. He made me feel that good about myself.
The support created in those words, I’m proud of you, has reminded me how important it is to be proud not of myself and this journey that I am on, but of those around me. In my goal to be a healthier woman, I need to not drown in my own pride. I need to avoid being blinded by the number on the scale or the way my pants fit or how I look in the mirror. A healthy woman is multifaceted. She is loving and she is proud of her family.
I am so proud of my family. I am proud of my son. I am proud of my husband. They are both amazing people.
And I will try to remind them of this every opportunity I have.
Because I know how it feels to hear those words.
I’m proud of you.
147.9 lbs
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If anyone would be interested in linking up with me on “Thinner Thursdays”, let me know. I would be very happy to read your blogs about trying to live a healthy lifestyle. If there is interest, I will definitely start doing it! To me, blogging is all about community. We’re all in this together, you know. Also: I’m proud of you!
