Just a few months after Maria Kang, a mother of three, had her youngest son, she was feeling confident. Kang decided to take a photo of herself in her workout gear to motivate other moms.
She included her three sons in the photo with their ages; her youngest was just 8 months old. She asked those who saw the photo, "What's your excuse?"
Kang didn't understand the issue. She didn't understand that many working mothers aren't able to devote a ton of their time to working to get rock-solid abs and a toned physique. Many are too busy with more important matters and even consider a healthy, home-cooked dinner a luxury. Moreover, many mothers do work very hard on their bodies but simply cannot will themselves to look like a fitness model. Our bodies are our bodies — we can treat them the best as we can, but we cannot make them do what they cannot do.
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Reasonably, many mothers were upset. The implication was that if they didn't look like Kang, they were lazy, they were making excuses, and they were not leading a healthy lifestyle.
Nearly seven years later, Kang began singing a different tune. She had some struggles of her own. She gained weight, battled depression, and struggled with her marriage. Suddenly, all those so-called "excuses" became Kang's "excuses."
Perhaps the mother learned that life isn't perfect, so no one — especially a mom — should be expected to look "perfect."
“It was important for me because I always tell women to celebrate their bodies,” Kang told People.
"Regardless, if we have some cellulite, extra weight, extra skin or extra scars — be proud, because we are constantly progressing, transforming and aging! This is our temple, so take care of it!"
Please SHARE if you're glad Kang was able to learn from her experiences and take a more empathetic approach to life.
This story first appeared on LittleThings in October 2016.
