What is a Modern Body?

Am I supposed to be thin? Fit? Curvy? Do I even attempt to be healthy in today’s world?

Am I supposed to be thin? Fit? Curvy? Do I even attempt to be healthy in today’s world?

A Modern Body is the one that craves engaging in healthy behaviors, while also understanding there is both give and grace in moderation.  We have so much working against our health in today’s society:  long, demanding work schedules where we sit most of the day, convenience meals and packaged goods, endless internet scrolling, easy bingeing Netflix shows, multiple kids who play multiple sports, a global pandemic, and, winter—if you live here in the Midwest.  Modern Bodies face health challenges like never before in history, so the first step is determining what is reasonable to achieve, sustain, and most importantly, feel proud of. 

Your situation undoubtedly has many more unique challenges than I listed.  And I’m not here to tell you to eliminate everything in your life that doesn’t support your health (as these may of course be significant others or children).  But often we see our obstacles as complete roadblocks and don’t think twice about making minor changes that could help us bypass the impasse—because we’ve already written it off.   And I could give you a litany of tips and tricks right now, but if those tips and tricks aren’t meeting you where you are, the only thing we’ll get out of that is a heavy eye roll. 

Everyone’s wellness goals are unique because every body is unique.  Your success may look wildly different from the next person.  I have clients who have goals to “get strong,” I have clients who have goals to “look fit,” and I have clients who have the goal of “I just want to be healthy.”   These can (and do) mean vastly different things to different people.  Age, ability, lifestyle, etc. all impact our vision of our “goal self” – so it’s important to get granularly, crystal clear on what it is you want, so we can determine exactly what the path to get there might need to look like. There is no right or wrong, and your goals will likely change over time.

There is an abundance of pressure on women to be ultra fit—hard ask when the industry that advertises waif models in skinny jeans has a pint of ice cream on the flip side of the billboard. We are inundated with high expectations and strong temptations throughout the day. The emphasis on being ultra fit needs a revisit, just as glorifying obesity does. The extremes put a price on mental health, and that’s not a tax I’m willing to pay. Health is more than food and flexion—your mind matters just the same. And I can’t emphasize this loudly enough: when you see health as more than diet and exercise, getting to your physical goals will. feel. effortless.

A Modern Body strikes the balance of feeling challenged, yet also fully able to master the task.  A Modern Body knows how to push to the point of feeling great, not to the point of feeling overworked.  A Modern Body does enough to feel energized to continue engaging in the next healthy challenge- not exhausted to go about the day.  A Modern Body is often a work in progress, but realizes today matters, little habits matter, your body matters.  A Modern Body doesn’t have to be infallible, it just has to move more forward than not.