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Why is it always about looks?

Why do a lot of people go to the gym? To look good, to be slimmer, or get bigger or be ‘toned’ (say it again, I dare you). There’s nothing wrong with taking pride in how we look. But it’s not the be all and end all of working out.
Thinking about this reminded me of a tweet I saw when the Olympics were on. It was from a fitness company (naming no names) who are solely concerned with promoting exercise for aesthetics. It was something along the lines of “The shape on the gymnasts is insane”. Nothing wrong with the tweet, those gymnasts work hard and as a result look good. They have to be lean because any fat is just dead weight. However, what did make me chuckle was one of their equally aesthetically motivated followers comment of “What do they do to look like that?”. Ummm…. Are you serious?! They do gymnastics! That’s how they train. Not everyone just goes to the gym to do bicep curls and leg extensions. They go and do something they enjoy or to achieve goals other than losing X amount of fat so they can look good in their bathroom selfie.

Other examples:
Rugby players – yes they lift heavy weights but they also play rugby, a lot! Sprinting, agility, throwing, kicking, tackling and all in a random fashion reacting to the game. There’s no sets or reps.
Swimmers – lean and broad shouldered and you’ve guessed it most of their training is… Swimming!

I think you can see a pattern but what I’m really getting at is that there are many more benefits than simply to change the way you look. Our bodies are capable of achieving some pretty awesome things if we put the work in and train right. Power lifters and strength trainers can lift hundreds of kilos, while gymnasts and street workout people can perform insane acrobatics and static holds in positions that seem almost impossible. Sprinters and distance runners can move like a bullet or run at constant paces non-stop for hours. In all honesty, we don’t give our bodies enough credit for what they are capable of.

So next time you head to the gym, think to yourself is there something you’d really love to be able to do? And why not focus on that for a change instead. And going back to the gymnasts from Rio and the tweet, if you find something you love doing, achieving that look you want is part of the package. 

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