“Although beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, the feeling of being beautiful exists solely in the mind of the beheld.” -Martha Beck
Many people would define beautiful as a certain aesthetic. To me, beautiful is more of a feeling than a sight to behold. Beautiful is strong and doesn’t care what other people think. Beautiful isn’t a contest or a competition.
Being strong and capable makes me feel beautiful. I often tell people that my proudest accomplishment since starting CrossFit is not being able to do a pull up or squat x number of pounds, it’s knowing that I will be able to lift heavy luggage into overhead storage when I travel. Seriously. There was a time when I couldn’t lift my 40 pound suitcase overhead when I was flying. On a more recent trip, a little old lady near me asked me for help with her bag because “I looked strong.” Receiving this compliment made me feel more beautiful than any other compliment she could have given me.
CrossFit is what I have to thank for my physical strength and altered perception of what beauty is. If I didn’t find CrossFit, I might still not be able to lift a suitcase over my head, and I would probably still also be reading articles about how eating 1,200 calories per day will make me “swimsuit ready” (don’t even get me started…). When I first started strength training, I had some people tell me that I should be careful not to get “too bulky.” I also heard from lots of female friends and acquaintances that they were afraid of doing what I was doing because they were afraid of getting “too big” or because they built muscle “too easily.” To the latter concern I would think to myself “Must be nice” and I continued to plug along. I think a lot of women out there share these concerns. This fear results from a lifetime of receiving messages from the media, and sometimes from other people, that women’s bodies should look a certain way. Fitness and nutrition are marketed to women much differently than men. For women, the emphasis is always “less.” Fewer calories, fewer inches, fewer pounds. For women to be “fit” we have to eat less and weigh less. This approach is harmful for a variety of reasons. Less is not always more. Less is not always healthy. There is an excellent article on CrossFit.com that I would highly recommend if you are interested in reading more about how women are socially discouraged from building strength and muscle. One reason why I love the sport of CrossFit is because it doesn’t emphasize attaining any certain physique. The goal of CrossFit is to improve your fitness. That is it. The goal lies in what we accomplish through the work, not in how we look.
“Traditionally, women have used less of their upper body than men, and as a result those muscles are underdeveloped. Women and girls are perceived as weaker than men, so they are not asked to use and develop their muscles. It’s a cyclical pattern, reinforcing a status quo that isn’t supported by physiology. “ -Hilary Auchner, CrossFit Journal
My advice wherever you are at in your fitness journey, is to detach yourself from the physical outcome of your training – which I know sounds extremely difficult to do. If you enjoy the process, focus on your growth and personal successes along the way, you will also enjoy where you wind up physically, even if that end result is not someone else’s idea of perfection. If you ever find yourself getting hung up on the physical outcomes of your training, like body fat, abs, etc. shift your perspective to focus on these things:
- Practice gratitude – be aware that you have a body that is capable and strong. It is easy to take our own bodies for granted, especially when they don’t look or act exactly how you want them to. Literally everything that you have is a gift, even your body. Your job is to care for your body like the precious gift that it is.
- Don’t compare yourself to other people – no two people are the same. Every person has their own unique strengths and gifts. Comparing yourself to another person is a waste of your gifts and talents.
- Help others – helping others is one way that you can let your inner beauty shine for all the world to behold. At the end of each day, ask yourself who did I help today?
Now, get your beautiful self to the gym and show yourself just what you are capable of.
Written By: Alexa Pancza