Exercise Is a Privilege: A Reminder I Didn’t Know I Needed

I went to the park to kill time before physical therapy.

That’s it. No grand life lesson planned. No dramatic turning point. Just a few minutes between errands and my PT appointment from the car accident I was in back in October.

I was feeling frustrated.

Frustrated that I can’t do a strict pull-up yet.
Frustrated that my strength isn’t where I want it to be.
Frustrated that my body doesn’t feel fully “back.”

And then I met Jay.

Jay is a former Marine. We started chatting casually, the way strangers sometimes do when they’re both quietly pushing themselves through a workout. In the middle of our conversation, he shared something that stopped me in my tracks:

He had just regained the ability to raise his arm over his head… after 10 years.

Ten.

Years.

There I was, upset that I can’t pull my body weight up over a bar. And here is a man celebrating the return of basic mobility.

Perspective has a way of arriving without warning.

Movement Is a Gift We Don’t Always Notice

It hit me all at once.

The fact that I walked away from my accident.
The fact that I can go to physical therapy.
The fact that I can attempt pull-ups.
The fact that I can move.

That’s not small.

That’s not normal.

That’s not guaranteed.

We get so wrapped up in performance goals, aesthetic goals, comparison goals, strength goals… that we forget the foundation beneath them all: the ability to move at all.

Exercise isn’t punishment.
It isn’t just about abs or PRs or hitting macros.

Exercise is a privilege.

And there are people who would give anything to feel their muscles fire the way yours did this morning.

If You’re Struggling to Get Back Into a Workout Routine

Maybe you’ve fallen off your routine.

Maybe life got chaotic.
Maybe motivation dipped.
Maybe your body changed.
Maybe you’re recovering from something.

You are not alone.

I’ve been in that in-between space too. The place where you want to feel strong again, but the starting feels heavy.

Here’s what I’m choosing instead of self-criticism:

Gratitude for what I can do.
Grace for what I’m rebuilding.
Consistency over perfection.

Because the goal isn’t to be flawless.

The goal is to move.

A Simple Way to Build Momentum

If you’ve been waiting for the “perfect” time to restart, this is it.

I’m starting a no-nonsense week of workouts for FREE:

• Zero dollars

• Minimal equipment

• 20-minute at-home workouts

• Simple, effective, doable

Nothing fancy. No pressure. Just movement.

Because you don’t have to work out.

You get to.

And that shift changes everything.

If you’re ready to rebuild momentum, join us. Sometimes all it takes is one week to remind yourself what your body can do.

Move your body today.

Not because you have to.

Because you can. 💙