physique vs function

Hi friends, today I want you to ask yourself a question, and really think about it:

Why do you work out?

Is it for the physique or the function/feeling?

For years, I was exercising for the physique, to be slim, to look fit, to be toned. So many times it is marketed: "Do this to get a poppin' booty!" or "Do that for rock hard abs!" Big arms, toned legs, a slimmer waistline, you name it someone is trying to sell it you, profiting off the fact that you don't see your body as beautiful the way that it is. It also puts the emphasis on the wrong thing. Exercise should never be about how we look.

"What can I do to get a flat stomach, to get shredded abs, to get a bigger butt, to slim these parts of myself and grow these parts of myself?" "How can I look like her?"

What in the world guys! These are things people think and I get it, but we do not get to pick & choose our bodies. We do not hand-pick what changes happen when we exercise, or how our body will look afterward. So please stop working out so you can look a certain way, because I guarantee your motivation will fade and it will only lead to disappointment and body-shame.

Physique, while amazing and rad, is only a by-product of being a healthy individual, it is not, and should never be, the main focus of why you take care of your body. I cannot promise you that by following the same exercise regimen that I do that you will have "(insert muscle group) like me!" because we have totally different bodies, just like everyone else! We are each individually unique and that is what makes it awesome, but advertising to do this exercise regimen to get shredded abs or a big booty or whatever, is only encouraging people to have an unhealthy relationship with their body and how it looks on the outside. Literally no one can guarantee you that you will lose 20 lbs, or that you will grow your butt or shrink your waist, because we are not all the same person! Yes, you can work specific muscle groups, and they will more than likely change because of that, but having the attitude that you need to change your physique in any way by targeting muscle groups so they can look better, this is an unhealthy approach to exercise that we have been led to believe is acceptable.

I want to target my lower body because I want to be able to run faster & further, and if my lower body gives me a nice butt and legs in the process, that would be amazing, but that is not why I am working them and building those muscles stronger, it is for the function, of for example making running easier, and the feeling, that lower body workouts make me feel so good inside. They make my muscles the right kind of sore, and they make me feel so strong during & after.

So many times you hear it, I am working out to lose weight, or I am doing it to obtain a physical appearance, or worse, you hear it marketed! "Purchase my program to get xyz related to physical appearance" but not very often do you hear "Join my program to lead your best life, to live life as your healthiest self, to be happy in the skin you're in and the body type you have."

Take a long hard look at the differences of my body in these 3 photos for a second.

I guarantee you can see the immense difference in these photos. It is okay, I am not going to be offended, you can say that I look a lot healthier in April than I did in January. But you want to know a fun fact?

I am the exact same weight in all 3 photos.

Literally, my weight did not change, down to the very ounce. My parents have this fancy scale that tells you the exact weight that you are, rather than just the plain number. I am literally the exact same weight. But I look so much different. In fact, in the April photo I think I look healthy, strong, and dang good!

Now if I would have gone into my workouts, or sought out workouts or other methods for weight loss I may have changed numbers on a scale, but I would just weigh less. Instead I focused on function and feeling.

I want to feel confident myself. I want to feel less tired. I want to run faster and further. I want to feel strong and capable. I want to do better than I did yesterday at this workout. I want to feel like myself again.

I want to obtain a certain function, and to feel a certain way, therefore I will exercise today.

And you know what? The fat is melting off and my weight has not changed, but everything else has for me. I am happier, healthier, and more "me" than I have felt in months, dare I say maybe even years.

When the physical results come, and they will if you keep at it, I hope you see them as a by-product of the work you are putting in, on top of the fact that your quality of life is better because of the work you are doing. You are more patient with your loved ones, you have more energy and self-confidence, you feel happier than you have in months, you are eating better for your body, you feel good in your own skin, you are finally embracing your body for everything that it is rather than everything it is not, and more importantly what it does for you and allows you to do.

The progress photos are amazing, but they are nothing compared to how I feel, what I can do, my mental health, my self-confidence, my quality of life. And it is not just me, it can be you too.

"It is a shame for a woman to grow old without ever seeing the strength and beauty of which her body is capable." - Socrates

You are capable of many things, don't believe for one second that any of that is determined by something as silly as what your body looks like on the outside.

So don't fall for it. Don't get scammed into thinking that movement is for a nicer butt or a slimmer waist, or a certain look. It is for you. For your self-care, to see what your body can do, to live a healthier life, to live a happier life. Not a number on a scale, not a jean size or for physical appearance. It is about who you will become when you finally start caring for yourself and the body you're in.

you are blessed. you are gifted. you are loved and appreciated, just as you are.

mindfully, molli