Now that it's September I'm starting to see the term "Summer Body" again. Not so much in the context of getting your body summer/ bikini ready but more, did you have the summer body you wanted? It goes without saying the Covid-19 put a damper on MANY of our summer plans. I think that Covid-19 redefined the term "Summer Body" this year. This year "Summer body" was not about looking bikini ready rather, it was about showing society that you are productive with your time. You used quarantine to "better yourself" rather sit and binge your favorite shows. You used health habits to escape the reality of the nightmare that is 2020 and instead found that escape in the form of eating healthy and getting creative with at home workouts. This year, "summer body" was not about physical confidence at the beach. In this article I want to explore all of these concepts from the perspective of a 30 year old stay at home mom. A women who has struggled with body image issues for as long as I can remember.
When I hear summer body I instantly think flat tummy, round booty, perfect breasts (whatever those are) and legs for days. I am far from a flat tummy. My booty is getting round… thanks to at home workouts. My breasts are alright, I've had a reduction and chest day is doing my chest some good. I am under five feet so, "legs for days" will never be a thing for me. 2/4 "summer body" criteria met.
Another thing I hear when I hear "summer body" is that it's temporary. There is a begin and end date to that body… that lifestyle that society so desperately craves. That "perfect" image expires when the days start to get shorter. That's not how you build the body you want.
Now, at the start of quarantine I went head first into daily workouts. Then, depression and anxiety and stress got the best of me. My health and fitness had to take a different shift. It involved more reading personal development books, meeting with my therapist and psychiatrist, and eating the way my body needed me to (thank you IBS) rather how my meal plans that came with my workouts needed me to.
Getting my summer body also meant granting myself grace. This is a muscle that for me has always been weak and needed some strengthening. In the pursuit of my summer body I learned more about me and being a mother. I learned what I could teach my boys about self compassion, and dealing with mental health.
The version of "summer body" that Covid-19 produced was unexpected. It was mental. The physical aspects that I want will come, but those will come after I have done the work I need to do with-in me and the work I need to do as a mom to 2 adorable boys who are at a critical age of self acceptance. Covid-19 summer body is that of confidence and self assurance rather flat tummies and round booties.
