The Gym

I have recently started going to the gym with my gorgeous sister (well we went once and are going tonight too) and to be honest the thought of being in that place with all the super fit people watching me fall straight off the running machine and onto my backside seemed to much to bear...!
I did almost cancel and as we headed out in the absolute freezing cold world for the gym I had mega butterflies in my stomach, I thought I was going to be sick!
However when we arrived all was well, I remembered my pin and managed to survive the claustrophobic revolving doors to be welcomed into the gym..

We went on the bikes, the cross trainers and the running machines no incidents occured (I am very glad to say) and nobody even tossed a glance at my bright red face as we left....

Why was I filled with so much fear and anxiety about going to the gym? Is it because as women we are made to feel we have to achieve the perfect body which is thrown at us daily in magazines? We are bombarded with images of the so called perfect woman (and man) daily but this is a false ideal. The pictures are photo shopped and not just a little bit to get rid of that tiny freckle of the models face but so they lose about 15llbs without doing anything, their body looks toned without going to the gym, they claim to eat as much as they want but many models are plagued with eating disorders.

I never use to worry about this sort of thing before I had children and to be honest if I had had a boy I think I would have worried less about their body image etc (although I think as many boys now have eating disorders etc as girls) But I do worry about my daughters view on her body image and I only try to talk positively about myself and other women's bodies in front of her. I don't want my daughters growing up thinking there is something wrong with their bodies, that having a few curves here and there is wrong, or being naturally thin is wrong. I want my daughters to love their body.

Everyone is different and that is what makes the  world so interesting, I will still go to the gym and work out but not to achieve the false perfection in the magazines but to feel better about myself and give myself a confidence boost - some me time!

How we view ourselves is the most important thing in our battle against false perfection and achieving this false view of perfect, if we are happy with our body and we feel confident who else can bring us down?