Remember that time when that mother of some number of kids posted a meme that showed her awesome body, with her kids, and said something about "what's your excuse?" And do you remember how that created an uproar...wait, an uproar that is still, apparently, happening?
Since that photo circled social media sites, people have been jumping on the issue and, unfortunately, a lot of things have been said. I've seen blog posts and articles on each side of the spectrum, and almost none regarding the in-between, because both sides are wrong. I've seen articles that bash people who workout/are fit and I've seen articles that bash people who don't (although, primarily, I've seen articles that bash the workout side and memes that bash those who don't).
I was going to post some of these memes and articles, but seeing as I'm trying to show the middle ground (and after wasting a bunch of time looking them up), I decided I didn't want to show the extremes, as that is what many of those articles are doing.
Let's look at some of the myths on both sides of the spectrum:
On the "fit-bashing" side, these seem to be the main arguments:
-They are shallow/obsessed with their appearance.
-People who go to the gym all the time are obsessed, they have serious obsession problems.
-They have more time than everyone else. If they don't have more time, than they just don't care about other things like everyone else/the gym takes up their entire lives.
-It's not healthy to work out that much (maybe as some of the images on the memes)/They must also starve themselves and are actually not healthy.
Let's break this down:
-They are shallow/obsessed with their appearance.
· *laugh, laughs some more*. Okay, really, though. This one is just hilarious. Are there people who go to the gym because they want a certain body? Yeah, most definitely. Does everyone? No.
Sure, I like my abs. And if I keep my routine up, I'm going to love them. True, I can't wait till I have a reason to put a bathing suit on. But is that why I do it? Is that why I work out? Is that why, when I'm totally exhausted from a day at work and sore from yesterdays work-out that I still work-out? Hell no. Let's see... I don' t wear makeup most days. I can be spotted in sweatpants and sweatshirts pretty often. I've pulled my hair curler out...once?...in the past few months. Obviously, I am totally obsessed with my appearance.
I do it for multiple reasons. I want to be healthy. I feel good when I work out. Seriously, working out is one of the best antidepressants, if not the best (and that's science, not just opinion). I work my legs out not with the goal of getting beautiful legs but because I want my Thai kicks to kick ass. And, vice versa--doing those things that use muscle build muscle. I want to have the stamina to go a few rounds with my sparring partner and not have to worry about getting hurt. The things that I love to do need me to be fit and in shape. I have to have a strong core, and am always working to increase that strength.
-People who go to the gym all the time are obsessed, they have serious obsession problems.
· I'll be honest--I have major OCD about some things. Major. But not about my gym time. This probably sounds mean, but I feel like this is an excuse. I don't care if you don't work out, but I'd rather be told it's because you don't like it or you have ten kids or whatever versus "I'm just not obsessed enough" or "those people have problems". For some of us, it falls into our priorities. That doesn't mean we're crazy. There definitely are crazy, obsessed work-out-ers, but that's a small population out of a large one. Just because someone does something that is important to he/she doesn't mean he/she has some psychological obsession issue.
-They have more time than everyone else. If they don't have more time, than they just don't care about other things like everyone else/the gym takes up their entire lives.
· See above point. When it's important, you make time for it. Just because it isn't important for one person, doesn't mean it isn't for someone else.
-It's not healthy to work out that much (maybe as some of the images on the memes. They must also starve themselves and are actually not healthy.
· Huh. Really. Huh.
I eat. A lot. And I know a lot of other people who are personal trainers, or fighters or some other athlete that eat a lot. In fact, a lot of them eat more than most people. I definitely eat more when I'm in a good work-out routine. And, a slight tangent that relates to other things I've seen: Not all of us work-out to lose weight. Not all of us eat healthy because we are obsessed with calories or how we look. I try to eat healthy because I see what bad-health does to people. And if I do eat crap, that still doesn't impact my gym time. At all. Sometimes, my gym time does impact what and when I eat--for example, I tend to get hypoglycemic crashes pretty easy, so I eat high carb and high protein at frequent intervals on days when I know I'm going to push myself.
All right, now let's look at the other side's jabs (though, I've primarily only seen these jabs by the way of memes):
-People who don't work out are lazy
-This is from a specific meme I saw earlier that I found pretty appalling: "The only difference between fat and thin is I"
-They can't push past the breaking point.
Breakdown time...
-People who don't work out are lazy
· Or, maybe, they just don't like to work-out. Maybe they do some and just not much. Maybe they don't do anything--and they are aware of the risks of an overly sedentary lifestyle. Maybe, for this person it isn't a priority for them to work into their crazy day. And that's okay.
-This is from a specific meme I saw earlier that I found pretty appalling: "The only difference between fat and thin is I"
· Oh my God. Seriously. This is one that makes me wonder how people are so ignorant.
Let's look at some facts here, shall we?
Yes, obesity is a problem. Yes, it IS unhealthy. I don't give a crap if someone is 400 pounds but feels good about themselves--I'm glad they have a good self-esteem, but it's still unhealthy. It will lead to health complications. If that person knows that and still wants to eat crap and not do anything, fine. As long as they are educated about risk, they can do what they want.
But, here's the thing. Not everyone who is overweight is because he or she doesn't go to the gym or diet. There are a ton of health issues and medications that can cause increased weight. For example, while increased weight is a risk for diabetes, diabetes can also sometimes lead to increased weight. One of the most common medications for diabetes leads to weight GAIN. Hell, even birth control often leads to weight gain.
So, how about, before you judge the overweight person standing by you, you realize that you don't know crap about that person and what that person is going through. True, these issues are not the leading cause of obesity and there is a chance that that person may chose to have that weight, but there is always the possibility that they have some other thing going on.
-They can't push past the breaking point.
· I've actually seen a variation of this argument on both sides, but I could do an entire post on this so I'm going to keep it brief.
Sometimes, we have to push ourselves. And it's awesome when we do. But there is a difference between pushing past your MENTAL self (ie, my legs are already tired and I want to quit but I know they aren't about to get injured) and pushing past something that is bad for you (ie, my injured knee is making a noise it shouldn't make but I'm going to keep going). Both sides have issues related to this, I think.
Really, it needs to come down to being healthy and letting people be. Does that person going to the gym impact you? Probably not. Does that person not going to the gym impact you? Probably not. We need to realize that even though we are all human beings, we know very little about one another and stop being so damn judgmental.
What do you guys think? See any other "myths" that you think need some clearing up?
Since that photo circled social media sites, people have been jumping on the issue and, unfortunately, a lot of things have been said. I've seen blog posts and articles on each side of the spectrum, and almost none regarding the in-between, because both sides are wrong. I've seen articles that bash people who workout/are fit and I've seen articles that bash people who don't (although, primarily, I've seen articles that bash the workout side and memes that bash those who don't).
I was going to post some of these memes and articles, but seeing as I'm trying to show the middle ground (and after wasting a bunch of time looking them up), I decided I didn't want to show the extremes, as that is what many of those articles are doing.
Let's look at some of the myths on both sides of the spectrum:
On the "fit-bashing" side, these seem to be the main arguments:
-They are shallow/obsessed with their appearance.
-People who go to the gym all the time are obsessed, they have serious obsession problems.
-They have more time than everyone else. If they don't have more time, than they just don't care about other things like everyone else/the gym takes up their entire lives.
-It's not healthy to work out that much (maybe as some of the images on the memes)/They must also starve themselves and are actually not healthy.
Let's break this down:
-They are shallow/obsessed with their appearance.
· *laugh, laughs some more*. Okay, really, though. This one is just hilarious. Are there people who go to the gym because they want a certain body? Yeah, most definitely. Does everyone? No.
Sure, I like my abs. And if I keep my routine up, I'm going to love them. True, I can't wait till I have a reason to put a bathing suit on. But is that why I do it? Is that why I work out? Is that why, when I'm totally exhausted from a day at work and sore from yesterdays work-out that I still work-out? Hell no. Let's see... I don' t wear makeup most days. I can be spotted in sweatpants and sweatshirts pretty often. I've pulled my hair curler out...once?...in the past few months. Obviously, I am totally obsessed with my appearance.
I do it for multiple reasons. I want to be healthy. I feel good when I work out. Seriously, working out is one of the best antidepressants, if not the best (and that's science, not just opinion). I work my legs out not with the goal of getting beautiful legs but because I want my Thai kicks to kick ass. And, vice versa--doing those things that use muscle build muscle. I want to have the stamina to go a few rounds with my sparring partner and not have to worry about getting hurt. The things that I love to do need me to be fit and in shape. I have to have a strong core, and am always working to increase that strength.
-People who go to the gym all the time are obsessed, they have serious obsession problems.
· I'll be honest--I have major OCD about some things. Major. But not about my gym time. This probably sounds mean, but I feel like this is an excuse. I don't care if you don't work out, but I'd rather be told it's because you don't like it or you have ten kids or whatever versus "I'm just not obsessed enough" or "those people have problems". For some of us, it falls into our priorities. That doesn't mean we're crazy. There definitely are crazy, obsessed work-out-ers, but that's a small population out of a large one. Just because someone does something that is important to he/she doesn't mean he/she has some psychological obsession issue.
-They have more time than everyone else. If they don't have more time, than they just don't care about other things like everyone else/the gym takes up their entire lives.
· See above point. When it's important, you make time for it. Just because it isn't important for one person, doesn't mean it isn't for someone else.
-It's not healthy to work out that much (maybe as some of the images on the memes. They must also starve themselves and are actually not healthy.
· Huh. Really. Huh.
I eat. A lot. And I know a lot of other people who are personal trainers, or fighters or some other athlete that eat a lot. In fact, a lot of them eat more than most people. I definitely eat more when I'm in a good work-out routine. And, a slight tangent that relates to other things I've seen: Not all of us work-out to lose weight. Not all of us eat healthy because we are obsessed with calories or how we look. I try to eat healthy because I see what bad-health does to people. And if I do eat crap, that still doesn't impact my gym time. At all. Sometimes, my gym time does impact what and when I eat--for example, I tend to get hypoglycemic crashes pretty easy, so I eat high carb and high protein at frequent intervals on days when I know I'm going to push myself.
All right, now let's look at the other side's jabs (though, I've primarily only seen these jabs by the way of memes):
-People who don't work out are lazy
-This is from a specific meme I saw earlier that I found pretty appalling: "The only difference between fat and thin is I"
-They can't push past the breaking point.
Breakdown time...
-People who don't work out are lazy
· Or, maybe, they just don't like to work-out. Maybe they do some and just not much. Maybe they don't do anything--and they are aware of the risks of an overly sedentary lifestyle. Maybe, for this person it isn't a priority for them to work into their crazy day. And that's okay.
-This is from a specific meme I saw earlier that I found pretty appalling: "The only difference between fat and thin is I"
· Oh my God. Seriously. This is one that makes me wonder how people are so ignorant.
Let's look at some facts here, shall we?
Yes, obesity is a problem. Yes, it IS unhealthy. I don't give a crap if someone is 400 pounds but feels good about themselves--I'm glad they have a good self-esteem, but it's still unhealthy. It will lead to health complications. If that person knows that and still wants to eat crap and not do anything, fine. As long as they are educated about risk, they can do what they want.
But, here's the thing. Not everyone who is overweight is because he or she doesn't go to the gym or diet. There are a ton of health issues and medications that can cause increased weight. For example, while increased weight is a risk for diabetes, diabetes can also sometimes lead to increased weight. One of the most common medications for diabetes leads to weight GAIN. Hell, even birth control often leads to weight gain.
So, how about, before you judge the overweight person standing by you, you realize that you don't know crap about that person and what that person is going through. True, these issues are not the leading cause of obesity and there is a chance that that person may chose to have that weight, but there is always the possibility that they have some other thing going on.
-They can't push past the breaking point.
· I've actually seen a variation of this argument on both sides, but I could do an entire post on this so I'm going to keep it brief.
Sometimes, we have to push ourselves. And it's awesome when we do. But there is a difference between pushing past your MENTAL self (ie, my legs are already tired and I want to quit but I know they aren't about to get injured) and pushing past something that is bad for you (ie, my injured knee is making a noise it shouldn't make but I'm going to keep going). Both sides have issues related to this, I think.
Really, it needs to come down to being healthy and letting people be. Does that person going to the gym impact you? Probably not. Does that person not going to the gym impact you? Probably not. We need to realize that even though we are all human beings, we know very little about one another and stop being so damn judgmental.
What do you guys think? See any other "myths" that you think need some clearing up?
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