5 Great Things About My Body [And 1 Really Embarrassing Thing]

It seems like sometimes we fit bloggers get a bit obsessive about our bodies. (That would be the understatement of the year except that “Kanye West seems a bit off” wins every time.) We tweak what we put into our bodies and catalog what comes out. We monitor the various ways, times and parts of it that we exercise. We love it, we restrict it, we dream about it, we punish it. We can even get obsessive about not being obsessive about it. And really, it’s quite understandable. The human body is a miracle. It works like no machine ever could. When everything goes right – and the majority of the time it does – it is so seamless that I sometimes take it for granted.

1. I have carried and birthed five children. Four were healthy, all were beautiful. Even in the death of my infant daughter, I was grateful to my body for taking care of her as best as it could and I was grateful to her body for sticking with me as long as she did. I was never so grateful for my ability to breathe as I was that first morning without her because even that tiny movement felt like the most supreme effort.

2. I have a quick mind. When we talk about our bodies, we often neglect to think about the part that does all the thinking. I may forget some of the minutae (Oh hello YMCA? What’s that – I left one of my children there? Yes, now that you mention it I do only count three… Oh crap. True story.) but I have a great memory and love for the stories in my life, the epic tales that have made it worth every minute of my time on this ride.

3. I can run fast. I’m no Olympian but I can sprint to a toddler chasing a ball into the street like you wouldn’t believe. My legs have carried me through ten miles of barfing and still got me over the finish line. They have hiked tall mountains and walked deep valleys. My legs have never ever failed me when I have truly needed them. They are strong and powerful and beautiful.

4. I have a great immune system. This is one of those things that you don’t think about it until it isn’t working. The truth is that I rarely get sick. And when I do, I recover quickly.

5. I feel everything. Sometimes it’s hard living in this world when you are a very intense person but at the same time I firmly believe that that same intensity makes colors brighter, smells linger and the gentle words of a friend more meaningful. I cry a lot but I also laugh a lot and it all adds to the experience.

The Most Recent Way My Body Betrayed Me

At first I wasn’t going to share this story with you – I wasn’t going to share it with anyone – but then I spilled it over at I’m Not Superhuman (which you totally want to go and read the comments on that post – everyone shares their most embarrassing fitness moment and HOLY CATS they are funny.) And hey, embarrassment is better when shared, right Gym Buddy Who Won’t Be Named To Whom This Has Also Happened??

So, the one downside of those bootylicious Fila pants I was raving about? The material is slick. Very slick. So slick that a pantyliner doesn’t stay firmly attached. A fact I didn’t notice until I saw the sticky white wad on the gym floor. What is that? A crumpled up ball of paper tumbleweeding along with the dust bunnies? No, that’s a…. Aiiieeee.

What is your favorite thing about your body? Has it betrayed you recently like mine did? Spill it- what’s your embarrassing gym moment??

Written with love by Charlotte Hilton Andersen for The Great Fitness Experiment (c) 2010. If you enjoyed this, please check out my new book The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything for more of my crazy antics and uncomfortable over-shares!