I found a posting on facebook today regarding this lovely piece of "journalism" from the National Enquirer. A teacher named Brandon Field wrote a letter to Loblaws asking them to remove the magazine as it encourages bullying due to the captions like "belly disaster" and "beauty, blubber & cellulite." He mentions that society expects women to have flawless bodies and it is hard to teach children respect when this is what is thrown at them.

Can you imagine how it would feel to see yourself on the cover of one of these magazines? Every flaw magnified, cameras catching you when you do not expect it, from hundreds of meters away? No wonder so many celebrities have breakdowns. They are human too. I can only hope the jerks who take these photos and the media that purchase them and write the captions have really bad karma and go to bed feeling poorly about themselves.

While I am a personal trainer, and it is my job to aid people in losing weight, it is more importantly my job to help people to gain confidence and add years onto their lives. The health benefits one gains from exercise are so much more important than losing a few pounds. I cannot stress over and over again how much exercise does for the body. Im sure my readers and clients are sick of hearing it, but to see someone go off their medications, be mobile and pain free for the first time in ages, and to feel able to succeed in other areas of their life is so rewarding. One of my 78 year old clients has said that people are always surprised that she doesnt need help with her luggage when she travels, and when having medical  tests does not need assistance getting off the table. Another 70 year old client had the doctors laugh at her when she told them her age. A client in her 40's was bragging to her doctor about her weight loss and flexing her newly toned arms. A 66 year old went off fosamax and built back some of her lost bone density with weight training.

Why does the media focus so much on body size when there are so many more important things going on in the world today? Who fricken cares about someones cellulite when children are dying of malnutrition. It is disgusting and sickening about where we are investing our time and money. I urge you to boycott publications like this. It is reasuring to see companies like Dove promote beauty from within, at every shape, colour, and size. Here are some on line self esteem resources.

You may ask why I compete and step on stage in a bikini to be judged amongst other girls. I do it because it motivates me to stay on track, and it gives me a goal to work towards. It is not about the judging, it is not about the waist size, but the process of hard work, pushing my limits, and feeling accomplished. Exercise makes my seasonal affective disorder and ADD much more manageable. It keeps me focused and more relaxed, and able to be successful at my other job in bar where I run up and down 40 stairs and carry bins of plates for hours at a time. It has reversed the osteopenia that I acquired in high school.

What has exercise done for you? If you aren't exercising make it a mission to add 3 workouts to your week. If you are a senior that has never exercised things like simple stretching, walking, and even seated weight training can be a good start. I love cranking my favourite tunes and dancing, singing, and weight training in my little home gym. A client messaged me today saying she put on ankle and wrist weights and did 40 minutes of Dance Central last night. Have fun, don't worry about what you look like, and feel good.