Sweat & Smiles: My Love Letter to Exercise
By Melissa Romano on March 18, 2017 from Sweat & Smiles via Connect-Bridgeport.com

Dear Exercise,
Thank you for presenting yourself as bike riding, dodgeball and playgrounds so I’d learn to love you as a child. I’m ever so grateful that you gave me the space to avoid you and give you half effort as a teenager. I’m sorry that I thought of you as something I had to do instead of something that I got to do.
As an early adult I came to you feeling broken, defeated, and stuck and you didn’t care how out of practice I was, you were grateful I was there at all. You didn’t care how long I stayed, the number of reps, the amount of weight… you met me exactly where I was. Slowly you built the confidence. Time spent with you reminded me how whole I was. You led me to triumph in more ways than one. You inched self-worth into the fibers of me each time I showed up. Sometimes things got really emotional, you brought out the very best and the very worst in me, and each time I learned more about myself. Even on my weakest days, you made me a little bit stronger.
As I got better and more practiced, I got a little bit full of myself. I wanted to compete, I wanted to be better than fellow exercisers. I broke the communion. And you were always there to humble me. Again, you met me where I was. The only thing that ever mattered to you was that I showed up. I can ignore you for weeks on end and when I come back you are waiting for me like a faithful friend. There to give me exactly what I need.
You’ve seen me through so many stages of life now. During pregnancy you had my back, literally and figuratively. Thank you for making the delivery of my child a little bit easier. After I had my child, I thought that I had lost pieces of myself, I couldn’t see myself as clearly. You were there for me in those early days reminding me that I deserved time to myself. You reminded me of who I am. You helped me put the pieces back together. You didn’t care that I wasn’t as good as I once was, in fact, you didn’t even notice. And true to your ways, you brought me back stronger than ever.
Most importantly, I want to thank you for improving my quality of life. All of the time I’ve spent with you has made me stronger: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. You’ve made me a better person, a better wife, mother, daughter, friend, trainer, coach and now writer. You’ve given me a better life, and for that I am eternally grateful.