Fitness and Vanity Go Together
As we (S)age our bodies change. Most everything sags and pounds creep on. Many of us over fifty keep trying to stay fit. When I go to the gym, a Pilates or yoga class, I am pushing myself to stay fit, but I am also vain enough to want to do and be the best that I can-according to society’s magazine glossy messages. When I exercise by myself I cheat. Not a big cheat. I just push harder when someone else is there to help me push that extra bit. I am not particularly proud of my lazy leaning personality trait. I think it is human and that I am not so very different from most others whom I know.
Society presses all of us to look good and thin remains in. This weekend I saw the play Fat Pig about a young handsome slim man who falls in love with a beautiful, lovely and smart woman who also happens to be fat. No happy ending here, he gives in to peer pressure, leaves her and the only happiness he has ever known.
So I ponder the meaning of all this as I plan to get up early tomorrow morning to go to yoga. Do birds of a feather truly flock together? Do the beautiful ones tend to ignore those who they perceive aren't? Or are some of us brave enough to follow our hearts no matter where they may lead us? Is beauty more than skin deep or are far too many individuals caught in the looks trap? I Know I will feel better after attending my yoga class. But, I ponder, how much does the looks carrot act as my lure? I am thinking about this question this evening. What do you think?
posted by Dr. Dorree Lynn @ 10:34 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I couldn't agree more. At 55, I definitely know how important working out is to my health, but it is hard to get myself off the couch. I find that if I have to wear a bathing suit or dress up or if I have a big meeting at work - anything where I know I will be seen and can't hide the rolls under a big sweatshirt - I definitely have that extra push I need. It's good that it gets me to work out, but why can I only find the motivation when I feel like I want to look good in others' eyes. I always FEEL good when I work out, but it seems the wanting to LOOK good is what determines if I go take a jog or stay in to watch American Idol!
I run. I love to run but I am not the typical runner, no lean body, no skinny legs. It took becoming 50 and saying, get outside, off the treadmill and run anyway, no matter if you don't fit the stereotypical runner. 50 is freeing. Many less than thin women feel so inferior because of their weight, they don't want to embarress themselves by going to a yoga class or a water aerobics class. For me, its not a vanity thing that makes me exercise. I don't even "do" my hair and never wear make-up, its health all the way for me. That is the motivation. Motivation comes in many forms I suspect. Shame in how we look probably comes in fewer forms than the motivation !
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