The ‘New Skinny’ Is Already You

Let’s celebrate our unique talents and shapes — not force ourselves to fit into any unrealistic ideals, be they large, small or anything in between! Credit: CrossFit Fever, Flickr

For my last post over on HuffPost Healthy Living, I decided to comment on something that I’ve been seeing more and more and that’s been bothering more and more — the whole “strong is the new skinny” thing. Now, the post has been getting quite the lively discussion, which is pretty much what I expected. I wanted people to think about it, whether they agreed with me or not.

Clearly, I’m into working out and I love what strength training and getting “strong” has done for me inside and out, but I truly think that when it comes to getting healthy, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to doing it. And, I know from my own experience that chasing after some ideal “look” or number on the scale (big, small or anything in between) isn’t nearly as enjoyable, effective or realistic than a deeper and more realistic goal to find your best or simply feel your best.

And, sure, a lot of woman who say “strong is the new skinny” are truly embodying that meaning and feeling that they’re strong inside and out, but my concerns are the other women who don’t get the full gist, and instead feel as though they need to look a certain way. It’s the focus on the exterior that gets me … Because too much of anything — even a good thing like working out and lifting weights — is never good. And, in my book, nothing is really the “new skinny” except you — healthy and feeling good.

Read my full post here and tell me what you think. The best thing I love about this topic is that everyone has an opinion on it — I love a healthy discussion! —Jenn