Have you ever asked yourself why you workout or if you are just starting to workout what are the best gyms near me? There are so many different reasons to workout from wanting to fit into that pair of jeans, getting a six pack, having more energy etc.
Being inundated with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts on fitness and a healthy lifestyle can have the opposite desired effect. In this article, Rachel Hosie discusses how social media gives unrealistic body image expectations.
Thanks to the rise of fitness ‘influencers’ on social media, much of the fitness industry preys on people’s negative emotions about their bodies with the aim of luring you in to buy products or sign up to fitness regimes.
Loving your body and feeling happy with your shape and image is important for confidence, but Mans says that for him, that’s a byproduct of exercise and training, rather than the main aim.
Is social media encouraging or discouraging your body image? Examine why you are working out or why you are neglecting to keep personal fitness a priority.
Reflecting on your own body image can help you overcome obstacles and pitfalls. Jessi Kneeland wrote in her article, about why body image matters in fitness.
Many of us don’t actually expect “healthy” to feel good. Our culture has the majorly misguided idea that being healthy is no fun—that it’s supposed to be hard, painful, and require tremendous discipline and willpower to cope with suffering through a workout and forcing gross-but-good-for-you vegetables down our throats. But working out, once you find something you love, feels amazing. It’s often my favorite part of my day, and I try to help my clients see it that way too. Is it challenging? Yes. But I wake up on lifting days excited to have a challenge worth pushing myself for. Feeding myself nourishing food feels incredible, too. So does prioritizing sleep and being well-hydrated. Having a body, and all the habits that go into making it healthy, can and should feel absolutely pleasurable.
If you aren’t finding pleasure in working out, you may not have found a workout regiment that you love. Texan Fitness in Southlake offers a wide variety of exercise classes like CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting, and women’s fitness.
You may have found a workout you love, but are focusing on specific results and not enjoying or noticing all of the other benefits exercise has to offer. In the article, “Top 10 Reasons to Exercise Regularly (Besides Losing Weight) Whitson Gordon, states:
Obviously, exercise can improve your appearance which can improve confidence, but there’s more to it than that. Exercise can also help you feel more accomplished and social (if you work out at a gym). Even if you don’t see immediate results in your body, that effort will make you feel better—and a bit of confidence can go a long way.
Take some time to reflect on your fitness motives or lack of them. Are you working out just to lose weight or to look great in time for bathing suit season?
If you are driven by some unhealthy reasons, start giving yourself some grace and start working out to become healthier. Having a new mindset will enable you have a new healthier body.