So I took a break from the gym today. I usually work out in the morning but couldn’t due to work commitments and you know what? In the afternoon I was tired and didn’t feel like it so I went home. I’m sure that there are people who would want to butt in with concerns to the “motivational poster” above and say either that either I should’ve gone or that I’m misinterpreting it and it doesn’t really say what it says, that I’m being too literal-minded etc. But I don’t like posters like this. I think they discourage us from listening to our bodies and our minds.
Not wanting to go to the gym is valuable input from YOU. Maybe you need a break. Maybe you’re worn down. Maybe your routine is fucking boring. Maybe you’re sick. I read Jen Comas Keck blog series about her battle with Metabolic Damage a short while ago. And when I read it I kept thinking about how so many things were spoken about that she had to do to repair her body. Like eat breakfast. Take rest days. Eat carbs. I read a lot of fitness related media, mostly blogs, and I’m picky about what I read. I like Jen’s blog. But here’s the thing that I feel is missing in the fitness world: Discussion about culture.
Jen mentions in part 3 that she felt embarrassed to reveal these issues, even though she knew logically that they were nothing to be embarrassed about. Why? That’s our culture at work folks.
I started this blog on a whim, out of annoyance, because someone said “if you want that content, write it!”. So I’ve been thinking since then about what I actually do want to write about. The fitness and health world/industry/culture is extremely individualistic. Everything is framed in terms of the choices you make. You are responsible. Only you can make the change. Change YOUR life. Fucking bootstrap already. Even huge systemic issues like irresponsible use of antibiotics in raising meat, factory farming, toxins in food, hair and skin products gets treated like an individual’s problem to solve. Or like it’s a matter of consumer’s choice. “Vote with your dollars!” You know what? Fuck that. Vote with your fucking VOTE. Be political. SEE the connection between your health, your choices, your community and the culture we live in. RECOGNIZE and see the cultural patterns and the systems at work that shape your life. Maybe everyone can get healthy if they really want to, but not everyone has to do the same amount of juggling, fiddling, jury-rigging and compromising with other things to get there.
I want to talk about that. AND lifting really heavy stuff.
The Functional Woman 