Controversy

So...the owner and fitness professional of the gym I work at set off a controversy the other day when he posted this picture. 

 "One of my fitness friends from Canada. See, when girls come to my classes wanting to get "fit" and lose weight... this is the type of body I envision women getting into. This takes true dedication and commitment. This body doesn't come overnight... months and years to get. If you won't commit... good luck. If you wanna make it happen... Let's do the damn thang!!" He posted.

And...that began a series of comments and responses....Girls who found the picture motivating. Girls who didn't. Girls who felt that the owner was speaking to their lack of commitment or progress.

I immediately started to think about the body's that I found inspiring...Like Michelle Obama's or Venus and Serena's or Ernestine Shephard's. And, I thought about why I find them inspiring... because they worked hard, because they focused on eating well, and because they still had curves. And, then I thought, actually, my body at about 134 (plus or minus a pound or two) through dedicated workouts and healthy eating...is a body that I find both satisfactory and inspiring. It's a body that didn't come overnight...but took months and years to get. I was just getting ready to post my response - that commented about taking in consideration various body shapes, genetic make ups, and personal preference...

When...the owner posted an updated response "Every body is different and each has their own goals. Do the best for you and do better every day. You know that as long as you push every session inside and outside our training, i'm proud of you and you're better than most people out there. Better. Every. Day".

I realized that what he was really wanting was to encourage us to work hard - week after week - month after month - year after year. You don't get the body above by going on a 5 week diet and fitness challenge.