MIndy’s CallIng

fitness &
exercise
Tired of someone else telling you what
fit, beautiful, handsome, or healthy
looks like? Every day, the media bombard us
with idealized images of beauty: buffed bodies,
perfect hair, flawless faces. If you’re
about to start a New Year’s campaign to look
and feel better, I’ll bet some of those Photoshopped
pics are floating through your mind.
And I’ll bet they don’t make you feel good.
My recommendation? Reject the perfect
pictures and concentrate on creating your
own definition of what being your best—in
peeke fitness
Shape Shift
Stand up againSt ideaLized
imageS of beauty
and cReate youR own
By Pamela Peeke, MD
Dance to the beat of your own drum, not
that of people who want to tell you what you
should look like.
mind and body—looks like. Log on to The
Fitness Rebellion website, read the manifesto,
and become a health and fitness
rebel. Look at the opening words of the
manifesto:
“I reject the notion that beauty, desirability,
and worthiness are one size fits all. I think
happy people are the healthiest people. It’s not
enough to just look good on the outside. I want to
feel good on the inside, too.”
This is so true. If you want to enjoy your
vacation or that next hike, swim, or bike ride
with your family, you need a fit and healthy
body, not a perfect body.
My good friends and the founders of
Anytime Fitness, Chuck Runyon and
Dave Mortensen, founded fitnessrebellion.
com. Runyon and team also recently wrote
Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn’t Have
To): The Only 21-Day Kick-Start Plan for Total
Health and Fitness You’ll Ever Need. It’s an
easy, fun read that addresses the reasons
staying sedentary is worse than working out.
Runyon’s voice is authentic, and he wants
you to dance to the beat of your own drum,
not that of people who want to tell you what
you should look like.
So this year, own this journey. It starts with
taking a stand, defining your own success,
and then starting your own fitness rebellion.
READER TIP
“I’ve kept my motivation up by creating variety but also by rewarding
myself when I do exercise by giving myself something I don’t get at
other times.”—Rohvannyn, WebMD community member
55
W ebMD.coM JAN/FEB 2013
Starting a new exercise
routine? Get tips and info at
the WebMd Fitness Center.
.com
goal tender
Want to rebel against
unrealistic health and
beauty expectations?
Here’s how.
Identify your own
goals. Do you want
to run five miles? Be
more flexible? Eat
more vegetables?
Feel more grounded?
Write down what
makes you feel your
best and commit to
that vision.
Start every day
saying: “Just for
today, I will _________.”
Fill in the blank with
one small step you’re
going to take to be
healthier: getting
to bed by 10 p.m.,
perhaps, or eating
a healthy breakfast.
Don’t worry about
tomorrow—stay
mindful of today. You
can do this for 24
hours. Start every day
this way.
Celebrate every
victory. No, you’re
probably never going
to grace magazine
covers. So what?
You’re powerful
and wonderful and
getting healthier all
the time.
KItch/Veer