A fit and trim mother of three poses in short, red and black tights and a red and black sports bra, showing off her perfectly toned stomach and legs and her three young, rambunctious boys, playing in front of her. She’s all smiles. She’s happy. She’s proud. She made it through three pregnancies and worked her ass off to regain the body she wanted. Then, you notice the words printed in black above her: What’s your excuse?

Wait, what? What do you mean by, “what’s my excuse”? Are you implying that because I’m not perfect in every way, I’m a terrible slob and need to be embarrassed like this? Who do you think you are, strange lady? What makes you better than me? So what if I’m “fat” and have no children. My cats take up all my time!!! How dare you be so judgemental?

That’s your first response, right? This was the actual scenario (and actual picture response, but without those words) that took place as a response to the picture above, posted to Maria Kang’s Facebook page in 2012 (I’m not sure when the response picture was created and posted). Many called Maria’s picture fat shaming because they felt she was judging women, especially mothers, who didn’t look like her. What they didn’t know is the struggle she had to go through to get to where she was in that picture. On her Facebook Page, she states, “I won’t go into details that I struggled with my genetics, had an eating disorder,work full time owning two business’, have no nanny, am not naturally skinny and do not work as a personal trainer. I won’t even mention how I didn’t give into cravings for ice cream, french fries or chocolate while pregnant or use my growing belly as an excuse to be inactive…” (for the full post, click here).

The problem with the “What’s your excuse” trope is not in the question, but in the interpretation. Many people say that it is insensitive and doesn’t take into consideration their specific challenges. However, I completely disagree. The idea behind the question is not to show people that fat is bad, but rather to show people that, when faced with challenges, you can still find a way to overcome. Although it is used primarily in the fitness field, the question (and concept) goes across disciplines.

So, what does it really mean? It means that everyone is faced with challenges. Some, you can overcome by yourself. Some, you need help. Some, you can’t truly overcome (if you lose a limb, you can get a prosthetic, but you can’t grow back that limb). However, when you really want something, there’s *almost* always a way. Most of these challenges exist in your head. You have no time to go to the gym? Neither does a working mother of three, but she did it. Have no money to go to school? Neither does the honours graduate who was raised in a 2 bedroom apartment in the middle of that slum with 8 siblings. It is meant to show that challenges can be overcome. It is meant to show that we, as human beings, are ABSOLUTELY remarkable. It is meant to give you a reason to keep going…. And going, and going, and going. It is meant to inspire, not to insult.

Therefore, I’m going to continue to use it in the hopes that I continue to inspire people to find their own greatness, because we are all great. The ChauFIT promise is to help you achieve your greatness.

…and above all else, Love!

N.B. The 2 photos used are not own by The Chau, ChauFIT or any brands owned by the author. The were sourced from a Spot Me Girl article and feature Maria Kang and Jes Baker.