Lately I have been bombarded with ads and invitations to join certain extreme fitness challenges. I work out regularly, eat mostly healthy foods and I love a good fitness challenge where I can set goals, work hard and achieve them.
However, there was something that left a bad taste in my mouth when I saw these particular ads. The ads featured fitness model competition champions and said that even if you were “pretty fit” by “doing your own thing” that unless you did what these people did and looked like them, you weren’t trying hard enough. You weren’t fit enough.
I took offense to that. I didn’t find it inspiring, I found it completely condescending and insulting and here’s why: Despite what most media and much of society seem to think, maybe I don’t want to be or to even look like those fitness models. And if I don’t maybe other people don’t.
There are many paths that lead to health and wellness. Not everyone is cut out to be a fitness model or a bodybuilding champion. Not that they can’t be if they really want to be, just that not everyone wants to be and that is really, honestly okay.
Some of the healthiest, longest living and happiest people in the world live in small towns eating simple, whole, healthy foods and exercising daily in very moderate ways like walking, gardening and playing with their children. So, you certainly don’t have to do crazy, extreme high intensity exercise or the trendy fitness group class of the month, if your goal is to just be healthy.
I have the utmost respect for the discipline and sacrifice it takes in order to be an elite level fitness champion. If you want to be a fitness champion then by all means, go for it! That being said, I don’t want to and that’s okay too.
I once met a well-known health and fitness guru/personal trainer at a party. I worried he would judge me for every chip or bite of cake I ate and would think I was lazy for not working out as much as him. In my nervousness I babbled something along the lines of “I really should workout harder. I used to but I haven’t lately. I could be more fit if only I put my mind to it. And I only eat chips at parties.”
He looked at me with kind eyes and said “Well, maybe you don’t work out as hard as you used to or as much as I do but that’s really okay. This is my job and I get paid a lot to look like this. However, not all people want to look like this enough to put in that kind of work. It doesn’t mean you aren’t healthy or fit. It just means that working out this hard isn’t that important. You don’t really want it, because you are focused on other things and that’s okay. You seem pretty healthy and fit and hey, even I eat cake and chips sometimes. No need to beat yourself up. You’re fine.”
It was mind blowing how true that was.
I am healthy. I am fine. If I want to look like that again, I can, but my life would have to change in ways I don’t want it to. I don’t want my life to be centered on just working out and the protein to carb ratio of my next meal. I don’t want to live at the gym.
Some people really enjoy the challenge and effort of getting super “ripped” and I applaud them for that. I love my regular workouts and I like being active in a variety of ways. I make time for exercise but I don’t make it my whole life. The type, intensity and frequency of my workouts vary depending on my schedule and what’s currently going on in my life.
I believe in balance. I believe that we are all unique so there isn’t, and in fact can’t possibly be, only one way to be fit and healthy. I believe that we come in all shapes, sizes and forms. Being the healthiest, happiest me I can be while still being able to do all the active things I enjoy doing is the most important thing to me. Now if I could only get these fitness companies to stop trying to tell us all otherwise.