Your weight does not define you.

I loved ceramics in high school. I loved taking a hunk of clay... in the form of nothing and sculpting it into whatever my mind thought of.

While I'm working out and lifting weights I often think of this perspective. Our bodies are a hunk of clay... through a healthy diet, exercise, and lifting we can form it into whatever we want to. Want a nice behind? Do weighted squats and the stairstepper.  Want to not slouch? Do weighted back exercises. Want toned calves? Work 'em! 

You are not defined by your body. YOU are everything WITHIN it. If you've recently put on weight, that does not define you. If you've needed to lose weight for a while, that does not define you. If you haven't ever exercised or made an effort to eat healthy your whole life, that does not define you!!!!

Don't feel imprisoned by your past and think that being healthy and confident is something that will never happen for you. Break down those walls in your mind... seriously punch them down!  

Our bodies are clay, they respond to exercise just as clay does to the artist's fingers. The only thing holding you back from getting in the best shape of your life is YOU and YOUR motivation. It comes from within! When it comes to "us" and "ourselves" the only constant in this life will be what's inside of us, but everything on the outside is completely subjective to you and your efforts. You can let the clay become old, dried out, and weak... or you can water, nourish, love, and sculpt the clay to be something that will benefit you your whole life.