For years people have used exercise as a means to change (or control) their body’s size. I’ve done it and I can make arguments both for and against. I’m not sure if I would call what I see happening now a new phenomenon, or just a re-imagined version of what we have been doing. But it doesn’t take a savvy You Tube search to find all sorts of fitness minded individuals touting how to “grow a booty” or “pump your guns.” It seems as though a switch is occurring from changing our body’s size to changing its shape.

And just as before, I can make arguments both for and against. I am who I am, so at the core that means someone who enjoys exercise as a pursuit and someone who is trained to help others learn and grow in their fitness, too. From that perspective, anything that helps get others moving their bodies is, or at least CAN be, a good thing.

There is the obvious argument that physical activity of any kind has long term protective and preventative effects. There are heaps of studies that show exercise offers benefits for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and many other diseases that crop up as we age. There is also plenty of evidence suggesting that physical activity may offer some protective benefits relating to mental health and wellness, including alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression, and protecting our brains against Alzheimer’s.  So, yeah. I am never going to poo poo someone telling me they want to become more physically active.

However, I am one who questions motives. I have said here before that there is no prize for having the best looking corpse. And that what your body is able to do for you at 70 or 75 is far more important than what it looks like (or what size it is). I say that as a person woman who has been exposed to this crazy media environment since cough cough 1980. I say that as a person who has struggled with perfectionism and hating my body because it refused to look the way I wanted it to. I say that as a person who had to learn, and will probably be continuing to learn for a long time, to appreciate what my body can do.

With strength training, yes, there are variables you can manipulate that will govern how much muscle/size you put on. Or if body composition changes will occur. However, those variables are at the mercy of your genetics. You can train legs and glutes twice a week, every week, with a decent amount of weight or repetitions, but if your DNA says you aren’t meant to have a booty, then you may not ever look like J.Lo.

And J.Lo is actually an excellent example. Yeah, yeah, she’s a huge star and her body is the sum total of trainers and nutritionists, I know, just stay with me here… When she first came on the scene, and I’m talking the In Living Color years, she was rehearsing in huge parachute pants (seriously, go look up the videos). Despite being a talented dancer, she was hiding part of her body. Even during her early years of mega-stardom, I remember that a lot of the conversations were about the size of her butt. Why? Simply because someone somewhere had decided to point out a physical “flaw.” And because the universe loves irony, look where we are today. Most women want a J.Lo tush.

Or we can go further back to the glamour days of modelling. Stick thin, waif like models ruled the heroin chic of the early 1990s. An excellent time for a young, impressionable girl to first be dabbling in Seventeen magazine (#sarcasm). I remember thinking, even as a kid, that what was special about Cindy Crawford wasn’t her beauty (although wouldn’t we all love to be aging THAT gracefully) or her mole. It was that she looked like she had eaten a full sized meal at some point in the previous week.

I bring these examples up not to further the downward spiral that comes from comparison, but to illustrate the fallacy of trying to out train your genetics. What if Cindy Crawford had decided to starve herself to match the rail-thin appearances of many other models during that era? What if J.Lo had decided to use exercise to try and change the size or shape of her rear end? Both of these women chose to try and accept themselves.

I started exercising in high school. It was about a four mile loop from my house to the high school campus and back. When the weather was good, I would walk or jog it almost every day. When I got to college, I added in kick boxing, and then strength training as I worked my way through my degree. I may have started with the inkling of weight loss but I kept at it because I liked how I felt.

Physically and mentally, I feel good when I exercise regularly. Yes, I like that when I am strength training consistently I can see more muscle definition in my arms and legs. But I am more impressed with what I can accomplish. When I strength test with my students (who are half my age, by the way) and I can complete more push ups than the majority of the class or I set a new PR, that is the most amazing feeling. I am not a fast runner, but when I have the mental capacity to push through and complete my workout, that is a pat myself on the back moment.

And without getting into the politics of body positivity, those things are what exercise should be about. Not about what size or shape you are, but the little victories that come from having and nurturing a healthy physical body. Not worrying about how you compare physically because everyone is on their own journey. Strong is the new sexy, after all.

Until next time, be well friends!