( CNN ) -- Maria Kang likes a good workout . And she is getting one after a bunch of angry women turned her into a punching bag . The 32-year-old Californian fitness enthusiast is under attack for posing for a cheeky photo and posting it on Facebook . The picture shows Kang -- who works out for 30 to 60 minutes per day , six days a week -- dressed in a workout bra and shorts that reveal an extremely toned body . She 's surrounded by her three young sons -- now 1 , 3 and 4 . Plastered overhead is a simple but loaded question : `` What 's your excuse ? '' The photo went viral . It has more than 16 million views on Facebook and more than 12,000 comments . Most of the reaction has been positive ; Kang estimates that the negative comments are outnumbered by the positive ones by a ratio of 7-to-1 . The photo is provocative . And it was meant to be . But a lot of women out there were absolutely furious with Kang . `` You , as a woman , should be ashamed that you are furthering the downward spiral of how society views women , and how we women view ourselves , '' scolded one blogger . Some call her obnoxious , a showoff , a bully shaming other women and worse . What 's worse ? How about getting accused of being a `` bad mother '' ? That 's right . Some women had the nerve to insist that no one gets into this kind of shape without neglecting their children . Oh , do n't go there . The last thing we need is another skirmish in the `` mommy wars '' where women compete to see whose maternal instincts are stronger . `` I did it because I knew it would wake people up , '' Kang told me in an interview while her sons clamored for their mom 's attention in the background . `` My intention was to inspire and motivate people to get healthy . '' Her point : If a mom with three children can work out , eat healthy and stay fit , what excuse is there for the rest of us ? `` It takes a lot of time to raise kids , but you have to also make time to take care of yourself , '' she said . That is n't easy with Kang 's schedule . She said she cares for her three boys without a nanny in addition to creating and running a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people get fit . She wants Americans to lead a healthier lifestyle . Her crusade is personal . She saw her mother -- whom she describes as a 52-year-old saddled with the body of a 70-year-old -- battle diabetes in her 20s , a stroke in her 30s , and a heart attack and kidney transplant in her 40s . Her mom 's health problems got Maria 's attention , and the daughter -- who admits to being a chocolate lover and `` sugarholic '' -- aims to set a different example for her children . Kang said she saw a column I 'd written for CNN.com recently about so-called `` fat letters '' -- missives that schools send home to parents informing them their children are overweight . I thought the letters were a bad idea . Kang disagrees . `` Parents play such an important role in teaching their kids to be active , to eat good food and stay fit , '' she said . `` Not to diet . But to be healthy . '' The `` fat letters '' got my attention for several reasons . As the father of two young girls , I worry that someday other girls -- what Hollywood has dubbed `` Mean Girls '' -- will lash out at them for their physical appearance . As someone who is attacked by the left and the right , I worry that Americans have forgotten how to talk to one another without treating every annoyance or disagreement like a seek-and-destroy mission . And as someone who is in a profession that is supposed to be about defending the little guy , I worry that bullying has become the new normal and that everyone is so eager to play the victim that they miss the irony when they start victimizing others . All these worries come together in the exasperating and yet empowering story of Maria Kang . It appears that the young mother was coming from a good place and that she was n't out to pick on anyone . Kang believes she is being a good mother , and she 's not backing down . I asked her what this experience has taught her . For one thing , she said , she had no idea that mothers could be so competitive about mothering . She recalls the woman who wrote her an angry letter trying to one-up her , asking if she had ever started a business , gotten a Ph.D. or learned another language . `` There are a lot of people who do n't take responsibility , who make excuses , who like to blame others , '' she said . She 's right about that . But enough about Washington . After the government shutdown , a lot of Americans are talking about how Congress is broken . True enough . But do you know what could really stand some repair ? How Americans talk to each other , especially when they disagree . Our public dialogue has gotten personal and ugly . Maybe it 's the anonymity afforded by Twitter and other sites , where people can rip into one another in hurtful ways without revealing their identities . Or maybe it 's just more evidence of what has been , over the last few decades , a gradual coarsening of the culture . Whatever caused it , this much we know : Many Americans have forgotten their grandma 's admonition that if they ca n't say anything nice about someone , they should n't say anything at all . In the case of Kang , her critics should have said nothing at all . Join Us at Facebook/CNNOpinion . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette .
Maria Kang has been criticized for posting photo of herself in bra and shorts with her sons . Ruben Navarrette : Kang makes a good point about being healthy and staying fit . He says Americans need to talk to each other instead of getting personal and ugly . Navarrette : Kang is n't guilty of being a bully , but some of her critics are .