Today, I'm over at iBelieve.com talking about the fitness goals, when they hurt more than help...
Several years ago, I lost a significant amount of weight. I
didn’t like what I saw in the mirror, so I did something about it. I spent the
better part of a year methodically and consistently working to lose over 60
pounds. (imagine dramatic before and after picture here)
Then, a couple years later, after the birth of my son, I
found myself having gained half the weight back. I didn’t like how clothes fit
or how I looked in pictures, and that “gross” feeling propelled me to lose over
30 pounds, and, once again, get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
But…
Even at my thinnest, I never felt completely confident and
comfortable in my own skin. I bought into the hype and set the wrong goals
based on false images and faulty measuring sticks. And I bet I’m not alone.
What are your “trouble zones?” Too much arm jiggle? Muffin
top? Lower belly pooch? Do you long for leaner thighs, a tighter tush, flatter
abs?
Have no fear! Magazine racks and websites are littered with
tips and tricks to achieve these desired results. Complete with svelte starlets
bearing their midriffs and touting their flat belly secrets, or dramatic photos
highlighting depressed befores and delighted afters, promising “you can have
THIS bikini body TOO” by summer.
Do these sorts of goals, and their associated images, do
more harm than good? Why is the fitness conversation, even among Christians, so
focused on molding our bodies toward some described or pictured ideal?
