Last week I mentioned that the folks at Fitness Blender had posted a motivational quote on their Instagram, “Fitness looks different on every body,” and talked about the body image and positivity undercurrents that it had for me. There were a few other significant thoughts I had about the quote and most of them fall under the category of goals and training. I’d like to share those with you today in part two.
Talk to ten different people who are working out and I’ll bet you’ll get ten different reasons why they are working out. Sure, you’ll hear the “lose weight and tone up” refrain but if you listen close enough, the underlying motivations will most likely be unique. And those underlying motivations are what determine the shape that our fitness plans ultimately take.
See, there are about a jillion different ways to attack the “lose weight and tone up” goal. Go ahead, Google exercise (or diet) for weight loss. Don’t look at the search results too long, your head might explode. Some people may have health conditions they are looking to alleviate. Some people may really like strength training. Each of us chooses parts of our plan based on need and personal preference. That’s why the Google search made your head spin. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Here’s the rub, all of those people will end up having a different end “look.” As I mentioned in my last post, genetics will certainly play a huge role. But a full body routine with lower intensity and a bunch of cardio is going to result in the muscles themselves looking differently than a split routine with higher intensity and less cardio. There isn’t anything wrong with either of these routines or looks. There is only what is right for each of us individually. If you really want to achieve a certain look, there are plans (and good ones) for that out there, but they are restrictive and that doesn’t work for all of us all the time.
I have had the pleasure of working with a huge variety of people in my career, including a few athletes. I love working with athletes, actually. It’s not my bread and butter, but I enjoy the challenge they present: a lot of different variables that all need to be managed correctly. I also enjoy the fact that never once has an athlete, at any level, walked in to my office with a picture and said, “I want to look like this,” or, “I want my waist to measure…” Athletes are focused on what their body needs to do for them. Doesn’t matter what sport. Each and every one of them are asking their systems to do something above and beyond, and each of them are okay with their muscles taking whatever form necessary to meet those expectations.
We get so hung up on the “look” that we forget there is something much more important going on. Exercise. Movement. Our bodies are designed to move, and in fact, to do it a lot. We feel better when we move regularly. And our bodies function better, at whatever we are asking them to do. That fitness, those gains in function, looks different on every person. Because of our genetics, because of our training choices, because of what we like and prefer. As long as we are getting more awesome, the “look” that should matter is the smile of accomplishment.
