There has never been a better period of time to become active and join the "fit club" than now. The fitness industry is booming and people across the world are hopping on board as we see more and more women repping the “strong is the new skinny” slogan.
The “fit lifestyle” is blowing up our newsfeeds, from Facebook to Twitter, Instagram to Pinterest and so on. We see these images of gorgeous women in full-fledged make-up, flowing hair with not a sweat in sight. Images of women with little to no clothing, glowing skin, unbelievably toned and sculpted bodies. But let’s not forget those dumbbells in hand while posing inside of a gym. It’s time to talk about the ugly truth. What about this description is real or raw and accurately represents the majority of women or a healthy body type? What about these people of inspiration are encouraging a positive image?
America went from beauty being represented by extremely skinny to now extremely fit. When a ‘fit life’ revolution explodes to the masses, it should be hope for the world. A hope that healthy living is the new ideal for what’s beautiful. The fit world is illuminating this image that sculpted abs, low body-fat, women with squat induced ‘bubble butts’ and definition of muscles we probably didn’t even realize we have and the all-around perfectly fit body. The one thing you’ll hear repeatedly from these various fitness models is that, you too can have the body they have if you simply stop making excuses and, live, breathe, eat and sleep fitness. When in reality, it's sad to say that many photos of fitness models are touched up to appear as the "ideal body" which they themselves don't fully possess.
Now let me tell you from experience, this concept of fitness is abusive to your mind, to your body and to your self-esteem. Having a consistent active and healthy lifestyle is significant to your overall well-being, but these so called "role-models" of the fitness industry have taken the beauty of fitness, the beauty of a healthy body and have completely distorted it. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with having sculpted abs and working hard for whatever body type you desire, but it’s so important to understand what it means to live a healthy and fit lifestyle, to be an inspiration and not a sex symbol.
It’s about eating foods that aren’t processed, but whole foods straight from the earth, that are nutritious for your mind and body. Fitness is about maintaining an active lifestyle, however you enjoy, and however you feel is right for you. Whether that’s joining a gym, becoming a runner, taking fitness classes, hiking, biking, swimming, you name it. Get active on a regular basis by increasing your heart rate and creating a sweat, but not by thinking that you must pound your body with mass amounts of supplements and being exercise obsessed. Discover your goals and educate yourself on how to reach them. It’s not about living up to unrealistic expectations and it’s not about having the "ideal body," because those expectations and that mindset leads to the dreaded "beginning and quitting" cycle when we realize it’s not as easy as the fitness industry makes it seem.
We have to stop comparing our bodies to others, but see the beauty we already possess. We should have specific fitness goals we want to achieve, because those goals are what fuel our activity. We must stay positive, thrive to challenge ourselves and not allow our own minds to sabotage our consistency and hard work. Don’t let the world create your beauty, but go achieve your fitness goals through a healthy and maintainable plan. Most importantly, create your own beauty, because each person’s outlook is always about their personal perception.
