There’s a lot of pressure that comes with being a woman. Body image is probably one of the most prominent. Most of us think we will never have Carrie Underwood’s legs, Jen Selter’s butt, or the abs of a Victoria’s Secret model, but we’re under the impression that this is the ideal. And I know that if I felt (and sometimes still feel) the pressure to strive for these things, I know that there are many—too many—ladies who probably feel the same way.

But the thing with those ladies is that they had to work for those bodies, just like any of us would have to. Carrie Underwood didn’t go from a size six to a size two over night, and those muscles didn’t just appear after a couple reps. It’s going to take time and patience, and a lot of it, to see results like those. 

As a woman on one of the fittest campuses in the nation, it has been a challenge since day one. I fell victim to the infamous Freshman 15 (although it was more like the Freshman 20) between the Cane’s and McDonald’s during weekend shenanigans and the curse of having to fill a $5 block.  And while I forced myself to work out every day, I wasn’t seeing any changes. I was a mere 110 pounds in high school—which probably isn’t too healthy—so adding on 20 pounds that weren’t even muscle was discouraging.

And frustrating. And embarrassing. I was working out to be 110 pounds again and failing to realize that my 19-year-old metabolism just wasn’t the same as the one I had when I was 15. I made the mistake of working out to be skinny—not healthy.

And that makes all the difference. I’ve (finally) gotten back into the habit of working out, but it’s a completely different experience. I exercise to be stronger, to be healthier and to feel energized. Over the past year, I’ve shed the majority of the Freshman 20 that made me insecure and pretty angry that I had to get rid of my favorite jeans. And I’m not just running three to four miles on the treadmill every day and expecting to see results. While I enjoy running, I’ve branched out and tried focusing on strength training, which has transformed my idea of working out entirely.  

And while I’m not quite where I want to be yet, I’m still completely happy with where I am and where I’m going. The best part is that am willing to wait for the results that I want to see, because I know they’ll get here eventually. But for now, I’m motivated to exercise for my own health and well-being, and nothing is more liberating than that.