Growing up we live in a generation where media and technology have taken over our daily lives; we start our days on our phones and computers the same way we end them. We constantly find ourselves scrolling through media sites looking at pictures of famous and physically appealing individuals posing to show you their newest curves, and trimmed waist that they attained with some dietary supplement and claiming all their success to that product. These images and posts not only create false ideas of what being beautiful and fit are supposed to look like, but they also construct new, unhealthy and ever-changing diet fads that with no previous training in nutrition and fitness are not realistic and influencers should not be giving advice about.
Our society has implanted ideas of what we are supposed to look like and that our weight (the number on the scale) says how fit we are. Though this number can be helpful in some cases like if someone is overweight trying to lose weight or underweight trying to gain weight, the number on a scale does not tell you how fit you are. For example, 150lbs can look completely different on someone who doesn’t go to the gym or watch what they are eating, compared to someone who works out 5-6x per week and eats a well-balanced healthy diet. When we go to the gym you hear people saying “I’m trying to lose weight” or ” I want to get skinnier.” Society has used images of unhealthy models and even utilized photoshop to create these unattainable high standards and ideas of what we should strive to look like and will only be good looking if the scale says a certain number.
What we are realistically striving to achieve at the gym is not necessarily to lose weight but “tone” our bodies, and become a fitter version of ourselves. By changing the mentality of “I am working out to lose weight and be skinnier” to instead “I am working out to tone up and or gain muscle” drastically changes the mindset and standards we have for ourselves and our bodies. When we break up with the number we see on the scale and start focusing on overall health we not only benefit physically but also mentally.
Looking and feeling good is a balance of exercise, diet, and mental health.