Tuesday, February 19, 2019

This flower would look sweatier if it were working out...



Last week I posted a photo of myself that I took during my weight workout.  News flash:  I am fifty years old, not exactly thin, and unlikely to have a career in modeling.  In the photo, I was also sweaty because that is what happens when I lift heavy weights.  Because I was raised female, it was hard to post that photo.  Because I work in the fitness industrial complex (although I try pretty hard to be subversive), the difficulty was compounded.

Say it with me people:  fitness is not about image.  Then say it again, louder, to the mirror.

Fitness is about doing hard things that make our bodies feel better in the long run.  It can get messy.  We don’t have to comb our hair first.  Unless cute fitness clothes motivate us to put them on and go work, we don’t need those.  The mirror in the gym is there not to reproach us or criticize us but to show us useful information about alignment.  The mirror does not care what size our butts are and really, if someone else at the gym is worrying about the size of our butts, that person should be working harder and paying attention to their own stuff.

It’s tough to ignore all the programming.  Do it anyway.  It makes us stronger.

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