The supermarket which we frequent is upstairs from a gym, so yesterday upon running in to grab a couple of supplies, I was accosted by a gym membership salesman at the doorway to the supermarket who was flanked by a photo of a seriously toned and shiny, although constipated looking woman. Usually I am pretty good at avoiding these types by moving to the other side of the door and letting other people be between me and the salesperson, however not this time.
He was rather adamant about the pros of his gym and that I should "get fit for summer"although I did point out that it is coming up winter and even if it weren't I would not even consider going in the sun or wearing some sort of floss monstrosity to parade around a pool. I am much more interested in a pretty sun-dress and a cocktail or six in the shade.
So while he waffled on, I looked at the photo of the woman, and thought that I would hate to look in the mirror and see that body and I would hate the paranoia and obsession that goes with a body like that. No offence to my gym-bunny friends, but I grew up in a house with a body-builder mother and know what having a hard body entails.
Even above and beyond the seriously restrictive and unappetising (and continual) diets, the early morning rising and the all encompassing midset, I don't find that type of body attractive. I would not like myself. I love looking in the mirror and seeing curves, I love looking good in dresses (fit women don't - you need a waist to wear a dress) and I love having strong, well proportioned legs that don't look like an anatomical sketch.
Now don't get me wrong, gyms aren't all bad. Some people need the discipline of a gym otherwise they won't get any exercise at all. What I am against is the "one standard of beauty" institution that pervades gyms as well as the concept that anything that falls outside of their very limited view of what is healthy, is wrong. I am also very very against these routines "to target problem areas" that seem to be so common. That is one of the worst things that you can do, as you over-strenghen certain areas of your body to the detriment of others. You also usually ruin your natural proportion. For a woman to hold an excessive amount of fat in one particular area (eg, tummy) indicates that there is a deeper problem that no amount of exersise will solve. See a medical professional and a dietition, not a gym membership.
What is often lacking in our world is an understanding of the whole picture as well as a respect for moderation. We are so encouraged to look only at tiny details and to do everything to extremes and we forget that there is more to the world. This goes for diet and exercise too.
Exercise in a wholistic way - walking, for example gets everything moving in the way it was designed to work and also therefore tones your body in a way that creates the shape you are meant to be. And eat in a wholistic way - a little bit of everything. I have found that living in this way for a number of years has made me aware of my body. I am very aware of what foods are best for me and what I should avoid. Which are my strong and weak points and how to work with my body without further harming things that I have damaged in the past. I have also not had weight problems for a number of years.
I was obese into my early 20's and had been dieting and gyming fairly consistantly since my teens. This kind of extreme lifestyle of over-eating followed by dieting and excessive and unbalanced exersise basically made me lose touch with my body and caused a lot of long and short term health issues.
I don't believe in denying myself anything. I love a piece of cake. It doesn't mean that I am going to eat a whole one. I am also not going to go on a three week long guilt trip because I had a piece of cake, I am going to enjoy every minute of it! Everything in in moderation makes the world go round, makes you a happier person and teaches you to love and respect the body that you are in.
