No judgement here on how you answer this question: I have answered both ways at different times in my life.
But, here are a few things to consider:
👉 The fitness & wellness industry make money out of you NOT being happy with your body. So they perpetuate the idea that it needs to change: that you need to be smaller/bigger/leaner/more muscular in order to be healthy. These things are not true. Nothing is true in isolation. Your health is personal and complex and made up of far more than aesthetic properties.
👉 Do you enjoy the type of exercise that you are doing? If so, great! But, if you see it as a chore/punishment to your body for not naturally looking the way you have been conditioned to think it should; maybe you need to rethink your approach. There are plenty of unconventional ways to keep active that you may discover you love. Physical activity has endless possibilities and it does not need to be a punishment.
👉 Do you feel you are sacrificing other things in your life (family, friends, rest, joy, mental health) in order to exercise to maintain your aesthetic? If so, this may be unsustainable long term and potentially very unhealthy.
👉I won’t list the many physical and mental benefits of exercise – I’ll save that for another post. Just a few are the wonders it does to help you age well, keep your heart healthy and raise your self-esteem. So, it is important to remember the real reasons to be active, even if the scales tell you that your efforts haven’t “made a difference”.
👉 Lastly, you don’t owe fitness or health to anyone! Find your motivation from your own desires, abilities & availability…not from those of a celebrity/ influencer/ friend/ colleague.
