A Call to Arms

The first time I noticed the beauty of a woman’s arms was watching Angela Bassett in What’s Love Got To Do With It. I watched that movie over and over thinking how I wanted to look like that. I envied how cut, toned,  and strong she looked.  She was exceptionally fit,  but for me,  it was all about her arms.

Now, fast forward 21 years. My arms were no closer to looking like Angela’s than they were in 1993. The reason for this is because I had done nothing other than wish my arms were strong and toned.  Well, guess what? Wishing for something without taking action to make those dreams a reality is about as useless as an ashtray on a motorcycle.

My husband and I made a decision 10 months ago it was time to stop wishing and start doing. We simply changed the foods we ate and the pounds started melting away. Before we knew it, we were down 50 pounds between the two of us, and we did this with virtually no change to our activity level. We were skinnier, but still pretty soft and squishy around the middle.

We knew we had to do something if we wanted to really make a change to our bodies.  Six weeks ago we joined a gym. We made a commitment to each other to work out each morning before work.  It has not been easy. And I’m not talking about the workouts themselves,  I’m talking about getting out of bed,  getting in the car,  and making the 10 minute drive to the gym. No one ever said it would be easy, but we keep going morning after morning.

Last week I grabbed something slightly heavy from a shelf and noticed something amazing.  It took me by such surprise that I couldn’t stop looking at my arms.  I stood there in my kitchen flexing my arms,  first the right arm,  then the left arm,  then the right again just to make sure I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing.  Then I showed my husband and he confirmed  it. What I was seeing were several defined cuts in the muscles of my arm. I was seeing definition and toned,  lean muscles.  I was not seeing flabby,  saggy skin.  My mind immediately went back to those memories of longing to have arms like Angela Bassett.  I began to realize that by doing instead of dreaming,  I was making those wishes a reality.

Now I’m on a mission to build on what I’ve started. I can see the beginnings of making a long forgotten dream come true. I’m on a mission to make my arms something I don’t plan my wardrobe around hiding.  I can wear that tank top and sleeveless dress and not be ashamed of the batwings flapping in the breeze. Before last week,  my time at the gym was just a workout.  Now it’s my mission to turn it up a notch because I’ve gotten a sneak peek of what I can accomplish.