Fitness and Body Image Myths

by: Stefan Simonovic

Source: Flickr

No, you don’t need to look like the guy in the photo to get into biker dating. And yes, being obsessed with fitness can lead to your overall unhappiness. In this modern world we live in there are so many things negatively affecting our self-confidence that countless books, research papers, and articles have been written on the topic. Striving for perfection leads to misery in any sphere of life, plain and simple, and today we take a look at the body image myths that have no business being on anyone’s mind.

Myth #1: It’s best to accept myself the way I am

This is a very tricky body image myth because in certain cases, yes, accepting that you’re a size 12 and were meant to be a size 12, not a size 2, can be very helpful instead of trying to turn yourself into something you’re not. On the other hand, there are other issues with this ‘acceptance’ that should be questioned or downright changed, such as a personal addiction to sugar, junk food or heavy alcohol consumption. It’s perfectly fine to be a size 12, but it’s not fine to eat unhealthy food and rationalize it by accepting to be plus-size. Eating healthy and regularly working out should be a priority no matter what your body issues are because some negative effects of an unhealthy lifestyle are no longer reversible past a certain point in life.

Myth #2: It’s not what I look like that counts, but who I am as a person

Beware of another very problematic body image myth. Believing that the outside doesn’t count as long as you’ve got a beautiful inside can lead to neglecting not only your physical appearance but your physical health above anything else. Sure, it’s far more important to be a good person than to be hot, but that doesn’t mean you should let yourself go physically. Being in shape and eating healthy has nothing to do with what you look like on the outside or what size you’re wearing, and nobody should confuse the two. Self-development is crucial for happiness, but being physically active and having a proper diet means you get to stay healthy for longer. Healthy body, healthy mind, right?

Myth #3: I’m consumed with healthy eating and don’t need to worry about anything else

This is the other end of the spectrum or the other extreme that people can go to. Focusing too much on exercise and eating healthy all the time can turn into an obsession or worshiping your body. It’s a social insanity that we’ve seen way too many times that not only can be spiritually destructive and account for much of the unhappiness we see everywhere, but it can also be unhealthy for the body. Kudos to those who’re in good shape, don’t skip leg day at the gym, and get up at 6 every other morning to go for a jog, but your body needs time to heal after every workout, and not giving it that time can result in injury or too much wear and tear over the years.


About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.