Working Out Shouldn't Be For Fixing Your Body

Think about how odd the concept of "fixing" your body is. I'm sure that at least once in your life, thoughts of changing your body to look more like a certain celebrity or person in your life has come up. We've all gone through it. I mean how could we not? Our society today is fixated on what we look like.Not qualities that actually matter.Like compassion.Or sense of humor.Or selflessness.Or your cooking abilities.I'm just going to start by saying you are SO much more than what you look like. You are so much more than the size of your legs or shape of your nose. Now look at yourself in the mirror and repeat that to yourself. Tell your reflection all of the amazing qualities about yourself that have nothing to do with your appearance.Ok now that I got that out of the way, let's get on with this post.My views and intentions towards working out have shifted dramatically in the past year. I used to workout because I wanted to look a certain way. I'd work out no matter if I felt like it or not. I'd work out despite snow days, exhaustion, and sickness. After listening to a lot of other people's journey with orthorexia – I realized that a lot of this stemmed from my need to be in control.

I thrive off of being in control of my life

I could control how much I worked out and what I ate and that made up for the fact that I couldn't control things going on in my life. I started hearing this little voice in my head that told me I had to workout. And when I noticed my body wasn't changing, this voice went into overdrive. It was an endless cycle of working out too much, not eating enough, never feeling good enough, and pushing my body into exhaustion. It was not fun.A lot has changed since them. I have learned that food and working out should not be something you dread. I've talked about food/intuitive eating a lot so let's just focus on working out. Working out shouldn't be a punishment. It shouldn't be something that you feel like you have to do but rather something you want to do because it makes you feel good.

What about goals?

If you're wondering where goals come into play, it's really just thinking about why you have a certain goal. If you have a goal to work on your core so you have a 6-pack for spring break, let's reframe and take the goal of strengthening your core in order to support your entire body. A strong core is your body's internal powerhouse.If you have a goal to work on arms because you're self conscious about that strapless dress you have to wear for formal, ok take a deep breath. Let's reframe and look at strengthening your arms in order to lift boxes at work, or be able to do pull ups (because that's really cool!!)I'm not going to reframe all of the typical "goals" people have when it comes to working out (that's your job :)), but I think you get the point I'm trying to make. Goals are great. When it comes to fitness, there's a huge difference in working out to look a certain way and working out for performance/strengthening.

It's 2018, why are we still doing workouts we hate?

Don't like running? Then don't run. Hate pilates? Try yoga. Just because one type of working out works for someone, doesn't mean it's the only right way to be healthy. C'mon figure out what you like. Be your own person.On the flip side, sometimes change is good! Even though lifting might be your jam, throwing in a spin or boxing class could give your body a change and prevent you from plateauing. Plus, it keeps things interesting.Changing how I viewed working out also has helped me to shift my relationship with my body. While I, like most people, still struggle with my body image and fat phobia (not as in I don't like people who are overweight but more so I have a fear of gaining a lot of weight...I'm working on it haha). Distracting myself by focusing on things like performance and working out to mentally feel better has eliminated room in my brain for those thoughts based on my physical appearance.Like always, this is a process. It's not something that is going to happen over night. The diet/fitness culture is consuming our society and trying to reframe thought patterns is not as easy as it looks–but it isn't impossible. Let everything I said sit with you. Let it marinate and take out the pieces that resonated with you. I'd love to hear your own thoughts on the subject or your own experience.I am sharing my journey and what has been working for me–this is not the only way to look at things but I have noticed that if you struggle with disordered thoughts pertaining to food, fitness, your body, etc. reframing can make a tremendous change.Let me know what you think!