Dear Friends and fellow Pinners,
These ladies, the ones you repeatedly pin in hopes of attaining sculpted abs and thighs, yea, well, here's the thing: you could do 100 burpees, 3,000 crunches, 189 push-ups and hold a plank for an hour a day and you may still never look like this.
I'm sorry.
I do not say this to discourage.
Staying fit and healthy is a lifestyle we should all embrace.
Exercise more.
Eat green.
But honestly, these images make me ill. These women look amazing, yes. But their bodies were built to look amazing. There is some factor of genetics at play here. There is also some amazing self-control when it comes to food. Or, alternatively, an eating disorder or two.
Quite simply: sit-ups alone will never provide six-pack abs.
And images like this only perpetuate our own insecurities. We need to build each other up, not demean and belittle each other by promoting body image issues.
Even when I weighed 100 pounds {long, long ago} my inner thighs still touched. And I don't mean they occasionally grazed each other. They have simply always touched - full on, thigh on thigh contact. The only way for me to obtain thighs that don't touch is to (1) undergo a surgical procedure or (2) stand with my feet way more than hips distance apart. God made me with thighs touching.
Truth.
And amazing abs like those picture?! Absurd. I'm happy if I don't have to adjust my jeans to cover my flab when I sit down. I'm not there yet, but it's a worthy and possibly attainable goal {note to self: lay off the cookies}. And I've worked out regularly since I can remember!
For those of you who can and do devote 10-20 hours a week working out and maintaining optimal physical condition: yea! You deserve to walk around in all lycra all day. I do not begrudge you your short dress and form-fitting top. Rock it, girlfriend!
But the rest of us need to do our best and be happy with it!
All images via Pinterest. |
And yes, drinking more water will always help reduce water retention. And who doesn't like a little dandelion tea. But friends, please stop pinning these images. It is bad for our image. It is unrealistic and demeaning to every woman who has ever seriously battled with weight loss. The bodies pictured are unobtainable for 95% of the women looking at them.
Work your butt off.
Eat well.
Encourage each other.
Inspire each other with your progress and stories.
Be proud of YOUR progress and YOUR body!
And please {please} only pin images of women who are over 30, have had children, and eat dinner more than once a month.
Sincerely,