Harsh Judgements
Posted: March 12, 2005 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »I read this post at jennethink today. She wrote about what are you measuring yourself against? Well, it got me to thinking. She usually does, in fact.
I’ve been working with Cyrus, a personal trainer, since November. I can do 100 push ups and as many 130 degree situps in a 1-hour session. I can bench press my weight – and do a respectable set. I can do squats with well over 100 lbs. on my shoulders. I can do several pullups before I collapse. I should be proud. I’m strong and working hard.
But today, Cyrus did a body fat test on me and I failed. Okay, he didn’t say I failed, but it was higher than I expected and much higher than I’d hoped. All I wanted to do was go home and eat Oreos.
What of my improvement over the past 4 months? Do I give myself credit for that or do I simply look around the gym at the perfectly sculpted women (who incidently have probably been working at it for years)? Why do I think that I should look like the 23-year old spinning instructor? I’m old enough to be her mother.
So I am obviously measuring myself against what movies and magazines show me I should look like, rather than against where I’ve been. How to get past this… No clue. And the saddest part to me is that I was proud and did feel great about the progress and focus until that stupid body fat test. Oh, the test.
Maybe there’s another takeaway from this too. When the kids come home with the excitement of new knowledge, I should rejoice. When they come home with a good grade, I should remember the new knowledge. That was the point, right?
Time to stop being so hard on yourself. You look terrific and I should know; I’ve watched your progress.
Ya know, last night I applied a sample of the new Olay night creme in hopes of firming up the wisdom lines around my face. I awoke and guess what? They were still there (oh, shocker!!!). I jokingly said to my partner that perhaps I should have applied it to my derriere to take care of the cellulite. Rather, I should have simply thrown the sample away, Just like the self-image you’re talking about.
An important issue that you’ve not raised is that the models with the perfect bodies pictured in all the magazines are not only airbrushed, but on average, are probably more than than 20 years younger than you are. You know; that time in life that we 40+ gals know as the “pre-gravity phase.” The other women in the gym? There’s nothing like lycra to firm up our bods, and nothing like lipo to suck away the fat.
My advice is to cut yourself some slack, put away the oreos, and the next time your trainer pulls out the body-fat ratio measure,
say “thanks, but no thanks. The image I want is looking at me in the mirror.”
I’m sure you’re right. But I might try that Olay on the posterior thing!
W