Why We Don't Believe In Aesthetic Training

Dear Reader,

Seeing as this is the last day of August entering the last quarter of 2018, we thought to check in on you to find out how your wellness resolutions are going so far. Are you still working out consistently? Are you eating your complex carbohydrates, vegetables and fiber? And most importantly, are you hydrating enough and loving yourself unconditionally? More often than not, we see many people taking up an active lifestyle for aesthetic reasons and this remains their motivation until it no longer drives them.

Let's get real.

You have ultimately made your peace with your budget for a gym membership and found one that works within your limit. You figured you might as well attend that Zumba or dance class that you have been constantly seeing snippets of on your timeline, right? Or probably a 'bums and guts' themed class that literally reinforces all the social media pressure and ridiculous beauty standards that women are supposed to fit into.

With regard to this, the conversation that you’ll mostly hear taking place is, “I just want to lose my tummy and grow my bum, and…don’t forget my ‘flabby’ arms"; and right there someone will pop out their phone and show a picture of a social media model who was either born with that type of figure or bought that type of figure.

Granted, the need for inspiration is needed but lately, it seems to be more of an obsession with the aesthetics and little regard to the healthy lifestyle that fitness encompasses. More specifically, the obsession with having that almost Kim Kardashian body. This has ultimately enforced stereotypes like; lifting weights makes you look manly, waist trainers shrink your waist and if you do all those booty-band, almost squat-lunges workouts and feel the burn, then you're on your way to becoming the ladies’ regular 'body goals'.

The aesthetics of training come through pure consistency, patience, diet and last but not least, genetics. For instance, there are some men who don't have well defined calf muscles yet they do regular calf raises but those calves don’t go past that one definition line on the side. Now, some ladies on the other hand, want to get to get to the coveted ‘body goals’ category by any means necessary. Starting from laxatives disguised as slim teas, detox teas, appetite inhibiting lollipops… yes, lollipops!, vigorous waist training, all types of fad diets just to name a few.

Everybody does have a particular body type that they were born with. Yes, you can enhance it, you can take supplements (if that’s your thing) to almost look like your idea of perfect; but, we all know there’s no such thing as perfection or a perfect body. And we are here to reassure you that you’re fine with your small calves and your ‘small curves’ and your physique that you’re working into (if you are training). You have to consistently encourage and speak to yourself like you would someone you love.

Chasing your ideal body goals is not frowned upon, but it will not equip you with the mental and physical grit that you need to become your best self. If you try and change your motivation from an external reason to an internal one which is, you simply want to operate at your optimal best and live your best life, then fitness will gradually become part of your lifestyle. If you change your perspective, it will also keep you going beyond the benefits it offers, which is the six pack and toned legs that you wanted at the beginning. Let the aesthetics be the side effects of leading a healthy lifestyle.

Yours in Wellness

@tizitalks

Photocredits: Brian Koome, Strikingly,Pexels

Wellness Contributor: Phoebe L. Gor

What We Are Watching This Week

If you haven't heard about the company called 'Beauty Redefined', then please watch this special Ted Talk given by its co- founder, Lindsay Kite! It speaks very deeply to the issue of body positivity and body image; and most importantly, that we need to look at our bodies as instruments and not ornaments.

What We Are Listening To This Week

The lyrics to 'Unpretty' by TLC will always be timeless and an important reminder to keep loving ourselves!

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