When a woman wants to change her appearance and/or get in shape, it’s because she’s motivated to improve her status quo. To do so requires great courage because it means she’s discontent with what’s been a comfortable routine and is ready for the risk of change. Perhaps she read a magazine or newspaper article or spoke with a friend who had successfully dropped a few pounds, gained more energy, or is in better shape. Perhaps she took her own initiative and visited a local fitness center.

However, for some women who’ve made the decision to begin a fitness program, distorted self-perceptions exist. Some women feel bad when they haven’t spent at least five hours in the gym each week. Others feel guilty every time a pound or two creeps onto their bathroom scale. Yet, quite a few believe they have an ideal weight given by God and should never allow themselves to exceed it.

Women, as a whole, simply must refuse the blanket acceptance of the young, thin fitness image. Not because there’s something wrong with being young or thin, but because a merely cosmetic focus belittles the value of real fitness. This mindset degrades and gradually convinces women that their personal worth rests entirely in their appearance. Imagine how much more valuable the five hours spent in the gym would be if they were spent with spouses, children, and friends.

What do we see in fitness advertisements? Young, active, rhythmically adept people already fit, striving to become fitter, and having a blast doing it. Who’s the person most likely to be instructed by her doctor to start an exercise program? A young, healthy, vivacious female? No. For the most part, our female role models for fitness are unreal. They’re usually young women who aren’t yet experiencing the physical and metabolic changes brought by time. They’re predisposed for coordinated exercise movements and are genetically gifted. We’ve been told to believe anyone can look and perform like they do.

However, unlike other aspects of the fitness industry, proper physical training doesn’t offer any miracle cures. During the last two decades, the health and fitness industry has seen an explosion in gyms, equipment, gadgetry, videos, and books. Professional athletes, fashion models, bodybuilders, and other self-styled prophets of health all claim to have the workout that works. There are no pills to take or special fat melting attire to wear. Proper training is about hard work, dedication, and determination. The mere simplicity of proper training and what it offers isn’t a good enough gimmick. My hope is that results will sell themselves. Women are usually the most grateful for the results they reap.

Being fit is really about living a high-quality life, free of debilitating illness. It’s about increasing functional ability so you can go out and bike, hike, play tennis, golf, and enjoy a richer, fuller life. TPW