Wonder Woman Doesn't Worry About Body Perfection, So Why Should I?

Flashback to a few weeks ago:

I was have a great morning listening to new Little Mix songs, reading inspiring blog posts from my long-distance gym buddy Lucy, and generally feeling the self-love. These mornings are bliss. 

I took a brave risk and decided to wear my Nike Pro shorts to the gym, despite feeling insecure about my chubby thighs. A few bicep curls later and I was back to feeling awesome. 

I had a thought come to me when I was about to hop in the shower after I'd finished working out and it was along the lines of: 

"I don't need my body to be perfect. I'm so proud of what it can do and how strong it is. That's all I need to focus on, the rest will come later."  

And it's true! I've been working hard at the gym for over a year now and even though I'm still a fair distance away from my dream bod, how my body's abilities have changed, still amazes me. It's so easy to get caught up in our flaws that we don't stop to appreciate how kick-ass our bodies are. No, I don't have a flat stomach or perfectly toned arms. But can I do a few pull-ups and lift insane weights with just my hips and legs? Hell yeah I can! And it feels amazing. 

Does Wonder Woman punish herself for not having skinny legs? Not at all, she needs them to be strong so she can kick some butt and save the world. If that's good enough for her, that's good enough for me too.





A few weeks have passed since I began this new way of thinking and it's made me a lot happier. Sometimes we rob ourselves of the chance to be proud of ourselves because of the perfect image in our heads. I've found that the best way to be, is to love ourselves they way be are right now. We should be enjoying every step of the journey to a fitter, healthier version of ourselves. My chubby thighs have carried me through miles and miles of running these past few years, and they make squatting heavier weights a lot easier. They make me feel strong, so how could I possibly hate them?

From now on, I will look at my training as a way of making my body stronger, faster, and my mind along with it. If I treat my body right, it will reward me in time. I will get that killer booty and biceps to intimidate boys, but only through years of hard work. And I know it will be worth the wait.

Putting unrealistic pressure on ourselves to be perfect in a short few months won't work. I don't want my training to be about body image any more, that never brought me any joy. Now I'll train for those moments I can lift heavier, go for longer, and keep up with the best. That's my favorite reward for being persistent and never giving up.

Focus on loving your body for it's strength, it's endurance, and it's ability to improve in ways that make you feel unstoppable. Loving your body doesn't just have to be about it's appearance in the mirror. Love it for what it can do and the rest will come. I may only be in my third year of my fitness journey, but so far I've ran two half-marathons, actually managed to do pull-ups, and with my boxing I could produce a knock-out in the ring. And this is just the beginning. Hardly relevant, but you never know when the Avengers need a new member on the team (call me, Cap!) 

I would love to know your thoughts on body perfection and what it means to your fitness. I'd also love to know what exercises make you feel your strongest (for me, it's dead lifts all the way!)

Steph x.


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