I think trying new things is cool and important for self-growth. I'm a believer in trying stuff. But if you've tried it and it's not for you - you don't have to force it.
Exercise for me as a kid was fun, but became progressively harder through adolescence because #letsbehonest my boobs swelled to the infamous size of Ali G and before I knew it I was strapping them down with 2 types of sports bras over my normal bra (bear in mind, there weren't as many pretty, comfortable bras for big-boobie-beeshes as they are now, just giant strapped contraptions in the granny section of Woolies South Africa that dug in to every bit of skin they touched!) and my body image became progressively worse as time insured. I was terribly ashamed of my figure and painfully shy of showing any form of skin.
When I was 17, I made the informed decision to go ahead with a breast reduction. My surgeon (bless!) took me down from a size 32G to 32C (read this as 2KGs or 4 x 500g blocks of butter... Yes check that out next time you are doing a grocery shop!) and I discovered I had a waist again. And that I wasn't as horrific as I thought I was. And that I could run without knocking myself out with my Tatas. And that was nothing wrong with my body before, during or after.
HOWEVER, even after my surgery exercise didn't come naturally to me and I still had a flash of anxiety at the thought of exposing myself in any sweaty, breathless public situation. I was still scarred by my 'incapable' mentality. Never before had I managed a pushup, I couldn't run a mile, I hated the thought of getting into a bikini and i sure as hell never in my wildest dreams thought I would be where I am today.
Continued in comments below... 👇