Just Say NO to “Flat Abs Fast”
Today, I’m over at iBelieve.com talking about the fitness goals, when they hurt more than help…
Several years ago, I lost a significant amount of weight. I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror, so I did something about it. I spent the better part of a year methodically and consistently working to lose over 60 pounds. (imagine dramatic before and after picture here)
Then, a couple years later, after the birth of my son, I found myself having gained half the weight back. I didn’t like how clothes fit or how I looked in pictures, and that “gross” feeling propelled me to lose over 30 pounds, and, once again, get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
But…
Even at my thinnest, I never felt completely confident and comfortable in my own skin. I bought into the hype and set the wrong goals based on false images and faulty measuring sticks. And I bet I’m not alone.
What are your “trouble zones?” Too much arm jiggle? Muffin top? Lower belly pooch? Do you long for leaner thighs, a tighter tush, flatter abs?
Have no fear! Magazine racks and websites are littered with tips and tricks to achieve these desired results. Complete with svelte starlets bearing their midriffs and touting their flat belly secrets, or dramatic photos highlighting depressed befores and delighted afters, promising “you can have THIS bikini body TOO” by summer.
Do these sorts of goals, and their associated images, do more harm than good? Why is the fitness conversation, even among Christians, so focused on molding our bodies toward some described or pictured ideal?