Over the past few years a cool thing has happened in the online health and wellness world: We are learning to love our bodies a little bit more and judge them a little less. Body shaming is a real thing. We’re constantly looking at hot bods all over social media so it’s easy to “wish our arms were as toned as hers” or to comment #AbGoals on someone else’s picture.
It’s almost beach time! FINALLY.
There have been some very influential voices in this industry, however, who say “Hey, you’re fine just the way you are.” We’re realizing we can love ourselves, flaws and all. I think this is really great as it allows us to show respect for ourselves and others while not feeling the need for comparison. I can read a post from a woman my age who has an amazing body and think “Damn, she works really hard to maintain that physique, good for her,” and I feel more inspired than jealous. That’s HUGE and I think/hope more people are feeling this way.
That being said, I see nothing wrong in wanting to change your body for the better. I mean yikes, it’s my friggin job to help people achieve this! Where the mix-up lies is the reasoning behind it. Do you want a six-pack because it’ll make you feel more worthy? Mehhhh, probs not a good reason. However, I think a six-pack would make me feel pretty badass and I KNOW that in order to achieve this I’d need a kickass workout routine. I’d have to be kind to my body when it comes to nutrition and I’d need lots of discipline –> And there’s nothing wrong with those things.
I got to thinking about all of this because now that it’s getting nice out we are going to start seeing lots of material about getting “beach body ready.” And a few people will definitely come through and say “Noooo, your body is so great just the way it is, love yourself, be who you are, don’t change just so you can feel comfortable in a bikini!”
But, what if I want to change? What if I want to lean out a bit for the summer because:
A. I wasn’t being super mindful of my nutrition over the winter and gained a few pounds and
B. Having nicer abs and an overall strong looking body makes me feel really good?
Is that so bad? Am I an awful human for saying that if I look better I will feel better about myself? I think the point certain people are trying to make on this topic is that having a goal to make yourself better should come from a place of self-love rather than self-hate. This makes sense but can be a tough mindset shift. Personally, if I look at my mid-section in the mirror and am not loving what I see, I will feel more motivated to workout and eat well on a consistent basis rather than thinking “Oh I see a little more fat there than I’d like but I am beautiful just the way I am. Now let me go workout because it’s so wonderful for my mind, body and soul.”
See the difference there? We all have different reasoning behind wanting to change and to me, one way of thinking is no better than the other as long as we aren’t constantly throwing negative thoughts at ourselves. To me, what’s important is that we want to strive to be better for ourselves and our loved ones and that we do so on a healthy and mindful journey.
Ok enough of the inspirational, self-worth talk. It’s honestly not my area of expertise, the above is just my two cents at this moment in time. It’s also my reasoning for the next bit of this post:
3 workout finishers that will make you a lean, mean, fat-burning machine. LOL, did I overdo it there? I had to. Because it is my personal opinion that if summer being just around the corner makes you want to lean out then that is totally ok. Get it going.
Eat well, work hard and feel friggin good.
These 3 finishers can be added into your workout at the end (hence why it’s called a finisher). (And you should feel really, really spent when done. If you don’t then you aren’t working hard enough.)
Ready..Set..GO.
Numero Uno:
>1a. Row 150 meters
1b. Plank shoulder taps 8x each side
**Row, Plank then repeat for 10-15 minutes
Numero Dos:
1a. 15 kettlebell swings
1b. 30 sec mountain climbers
**Swing, Climb then repeat 10 times
Numero Tres:
1a. 30 sec sprint on cardio equipment of your choice
1b. Rest 30 sec
**Sprint, Rest then repeat for 10-15 min
Give these a try and let me know what you think! And if you feel you need a modification for an exercise head to the “contact me” tab on my page where you can either email me or message me on social media 🙂
