I am tired of workout videos being full of boobs. I mean, it’s fine, they are attached to women, I get it…boobs happen.
Boobs squished up and pushed out to high heaven with a lot of jumping and burpees and planks, however, is another deal. Lately I feel like it’s all I’ve been seeing in my workout videos.
Now, I understand that 95% of the boobs I see in these productions are made of silicone. It’s just not nature’s way for someone to have a teeny waist and massive breasts. It only takes one glance to know you’re not looking at the real deal.
I can hear some of you now. Something about women’s bodies are their own business and I have no right to say anything and if you don’t like it, don’t look and yada…yada..yada…yada. Yeah, I got it. Calm. It. Down.
There’s a reason that when you pick up a Shape magazine you aren’t seeing promises of a better personality or ads for more intellectual reads. I had recently purchased a Shape magazine at the airport and it ended up in my house. When my husband was looking for something in my bag, He saw the magazine and later said something about it.
Wade: “Doesn’t that make you feel bad about yourself? You always have said body image stuff is hard for you, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
Me: “Yeah, seriously. I’m fine. I would tell you if I wasn’t.”
Wade: “Well…I just don’t know if it’s the best idea for you to be reading that stuff. It’s garbage…those people don’t even have body parts they were born with!”
Me: “Yeah, but it’s not a problem for me. I just like to read about the stuff inside, it’s not a big deal.”
The conversation ends, but I can tell he still thinks it’s a big deal. And now that I’ve been thinking about it, I’m starting to get it.
In theory I don’t think that Shape Magazine is my downfall when it comes to body image. But for me to pretend like the things I see in there don’t effect me is crazy. To say that I am above that influence is nonsense. I also recently realized that there are SO MANY BOOBS in my workout videos. And the shortest shorts you’ve ever seen (like, shorter than my underpants). And a lot of crop tops. Most of all, the instructors are constantly making comments like, “Skinny is forever, so don’t quit- you’ll be mad you did it!” and, “If you give me 3 weeks, I will give you the body you always wanted!” and, “I don’t know where this girl is going on her honeymoon, but that swimsuit is about to look good on you!”
This is what I want to say. I have been listening to these voices for too long. I am saddened that I never thought to shout back,
“Skinny is not forever. It’s a state of fat or lack of fat on top of bones, so calm down like you just adopted an orphan. You’re not changing the world for the better by shrinking.”
I should have said,
“Wait…3 weeks!? I shouldn’t even give you 10 minutes. You are brain poison!”
Also,
“She already looks awesome. Go on your honeymoon, girlfriend, and don’t listen to this looney bin. You have a fantastic shape, and you wear whatever suit you want.”
So it’s not really about the boobs. It’s about what I choose to put in my brain and eyes and why. In the case of my workout videos, boobs speak louder than words, even though the words aren’t that great either.
I must admit, I am in need of a workout that doesn’t expose me to so much, well…exposure. That doesn’t put a vote on the side of #fitspiration and #fitatanycost and #skinnylastsforever. I want my vote to be on the side of healthy, whole, and healed. I want the voices in my head to be reminding me that I’m under the grace of moving my body to stay healthy and not under the law of having to do it a certain way or in order to get a certain body on the other end.
Just today I discovered Revelation Wellness, and it’s rocking my world.
Here’s their mission statement:
Revelation Wellness believes that as the body of Christ gets healthy and whole by the power of the love of God, they will be fit for their purpose; to proclaim and show the love of God down the roads less traveled.
Let’s compare that to the latest cover of Shape Magazine:
The Addictive Fitness Trend that Will Reshape Your Body, Lose Inches All Over, Get Sexy Legs Fast, Killer Thighs, Look Better Naked, Casual Sex Might Be Good for You, Get a Tighter Tush, Blast Belly Fat For Good.
I think that pretty much speaks for itself. I mean, the boobs alone on Shape’s most recent cover are basically shouting at me that I’m lacking everything crucial for a sexy, fit existence.
Revelation Wellness knows that if you have substance, you don’t need silicone front and center. They have a program called VIP TV, and for only $10 a month you get access to their online library of workout videos that are constantly being released. All of them have strong, differently shaped women in them, and they are all wearing super stylish but not skintight outfits. They aren’t hiding their bodies, but they aren’t advertising. If any of them have purchased their boobs, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell because they’d be squashed under a tank where women want them when they’re about to do jumping jacks.
I signed up for VIP TV today, and did my first workout. These are NO JOKE. I was sweating like a beast, and actually feeling like a beauty. Nobody was telling me I had a tighter tush in my future, and I didn’t feel like the purpose of my life was to be a body under construction. Revelation Wellness uses workout times to pray, refocus on God, and even memorize Scripture.
I worked up a sweat, and I pressed into God- the One who gave me a body, who blessed me with one that can work hard, and who asks of me that I honor Him with it.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
-1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I am actually thinking about becoming a Revelation Fitness Instructor in the future. It really does matter what goes into us, because it comes out. And the Bible says that it’s what comes out of a person that defiles them. If I’m putting in images and soundbites of women honoring sexiness and thigh gaps over sound teaching and theological beauty, that is going to come out of me regardless of if I would say I want it to or not. If my soul is shrinking, it won’t matter if the number on the scale is going up or down. I want my soul to gain weight every single day. In order to do that, I know that I have to take the trash out.
For me this means LESS of this:
And MORE of this:
Saying no to these old workouts is my way of saying to God, this body is yours, and I’m sorry I let those lies creep in. Maybe that’s not what you need to do, but maybe it is. We all have things that are going in that are hurting us, and that we need to face.
So, if God is calling you to get something off of your chest (wink wink*) or out of your DVD player, or out of your wicker basket full of magazines, don’t be afraid to say yes.
Anything you stand to gain is so much more than what you fear you will lose.
That’s the promise of the Gospel, and it will set you free.
She Abides In Christ 