First off, I for one am very big into fitness, weight loss, getting healthy and feeling great about your body. In fact I encourage it and try to motivate as much as I can. I realize that when you work hard you want to show off your body. I first want to explain that I get that, and I too have experienced the feeling of wanting to show off especially when you've worked hard. It is hard work and it's nice to be recognized for your accomplishments. I get it!
But as I read article after article, find motivational quotes, and research the snot out of this I am finding there are two types of women on these covers. Model looking women who I swear never have to work out (in fact it's probably in their contract that they don't) but they have these thin little bodies. Then there are the fitness women with six packs that I drool over (yes, muscle makes me drool... haha!). You can clearly tell they have worked their butts off. There's no denying it. You can not just wake up one day and look like that.
Now I don't want to diminish the hard work that either of these groups have put in to looking like that, but honestly, not every women can look like that.
This picture is exactly what I'm talking about.
It's NOT just about losing weight. It's about Gaining Strength and confidence.
Here's the deal... I am a mom. Of three girls. Wait, let me pull my mom card out and show you my beautiful daughters (sorry, I just can't help myself!)
My belly has been stretched far beyond what I even thought humanly possible... 3 different times! I have extra skin on my belly that will never go away. Granted, it's not a lot but it's there. I have a few stretch marks unfortunately that will also never go away. Now I am not complaining. I actually know that I don't have it as bad as some women. I will still wear a bikini to the beach gosh darn it! But if we are being realistic here, then saying everyone can look like those two types of people is not gonna happen.
You see we all should have different fitness goals, and they will probably change over time. For that mom who just had a baby her goal might be to just fit into her jeans again. That's it. For some of you it's just a goal of working out 3 times a week, eating right and maintaining the body you have. And for others it's a little more extreme because you want to drop your body fat percentage and increase your performance. I firmly believe you should set your goals to be achievable. Once you achieve them, set new achievable goals. If you can't achieve them, then you are probably going to just give up!
So my question for you is, when you see the super ripped fitness pictures does it make you not even want to try? I want honest opinions here. For example, I've been asking my friends to bootcamp for the last year. Now I realize I'm somewhat of an extreme person when it comes to fitness. Like I said, everyone has goals and my goals are pretty high. But I noticed time after time people turning me down. Almost like they can't keep up with me so why would they even want to try? Do you fall under this category? I'm really not offended by the fact that my friends tell me no. I'm going to keep asking, and one way or another I WILL get them there (muahhahahahaha, insert evil laugh here)!
Alright, my rant is over. I just really don't want all you people out there giving up because you look at those pictures and think, "there's no way I could look like that." You are NOT that person in the picture. You do not have the same body as them. Your fitness walk is going to look different than theirs. Your goals may be completely different as well. Don't get discouraged by how far you might have to go. Be encouraged by your opportunity to change the way you look and feel about yourself. You have the opportunity to show your kids what healthy living looks like! You are setting the stage for them. Remember, they will learn from you. The good and the bad. And remember, it's not always going to be an easy road. But we were never promised that it would be easy. We were just promised that it would be worth it!
There really is no way I could look like most of those photos and it is really not motivating at all. I like the before/after photos that some people publish. Those can be pretty motivating.
ReplyDeleteI agree Bill! So much more motivating to see a real life person and their weight loss success!
DeleteI know the extra skin from pregnancy thing well. TWINS! Add preeclampsia to that, which added over 20 pounds of water weight in my last month, and I thought there was seriously no way my skin could stretch any more without ripping open. Top that off with a vertical incision starting from the bottom of my naval, and this chick never saw a bikini again. I was only 23! I know I will never look like any bare ab girl on the cover of a magazine, and I'm OK with that. I do want to be healthy and strong, though. I know that if I would only get started and push myself for the first few weeks that it would become a habit. One that I would look forward to and groan about if I had to forego a workout. I know, because once upon a time, I was addicted to aerobics. I felt great! That was about 24 years ago. You just gave me inspiration for my blogging comeback. My last post was over two months ago! GASP!
ReplyDeleteHeather, you are a motivator and a bit intimidating at the same time. You look fantastic and you are a guru. I am drawn to people like you because you motivate me, but I could see how it could be intimidating to others. I say keep inviting and encourage the friends that are hesitant to bring another friend with them that might be closer to their fitness level. Just don't stop motivating because you are good at it. And I agree with Bill, before and after pictures are motivating too especially if it someone that you know and you know the picture isn't fake in any way.
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