A Magic Fitness Pill? It’s Tempting!

Our latest question of the week has the Fit Bottomed crew a little fired up. In case you missed Karen, Susan, Jenn and Erin’s posts, here’s the q:

What would your life be like if some kind of pill existed that kept you fit? 

No such thing exists — even though advertisers would like you to believe so. But if it did, how would your life be different? What would you have missed out on or what lessons would you have failed to learn? 

Would you still be driven to work out? Eat healthy? 

Think about it. Would you take a magic pill that kept you fit if it existed? My initial, off-the-cuff answer was a hearty, “Hell yes!” But — as you probably guessed, I’ve got a caveat or two to include.

When I consider a magical fitness pill, I picture something that helps me stay healthy, injury-free and able to do my thing without being held back by asthma, arthritis or (because I love alliteration) an asshole attitude. (Okay, fine — maybe the pill wouldn’t help so much with that last one …) A truly magic pill, in my mind, wouldn’t just be something that kept me bikini-ready (gah, what does that even mean?) — it would be something that enhanced my health and improved my athletic performance.

You know, a lot like clean eating and regular exercise tend to do.

Oh. Right. Like what I already do.

I know myself, and while I might take things a little easier when I don’t have a huge race or other athletic event on my calendar, exercise and healthy eating isn’t something I do solely because of some end goal like losing five pounds or finishing a half marathon — it’s simply a way of life. A pill that made the things I love to do (running, swimming, dancing up a storm) a little easier wouldn’t make me do them less, but if it helped me find myself closer to the front of the pack than the back on occasion, well, shoot, I’ve gotta be honest — I’d totally consider it. I love the process, like Susan, but … I don’t know. Sometimes the process seems like it could use a hand.

But even though I know that I would still jampack my smoothie with kale and chia seeds, and I’d still meditate and say affirmations and focus on showing myself lots of love, regardless of how my clothes are fitting or how fast or slow I’m able to run, the idea of something like being marketed to the masses terrifies me. I’d never be down with a pill being shilled as a replacement for any of that that good stuff I just listed. Nope.

So I don’t know, now that I’m thinking out loud (well, out loud via the keyboard here), I find myself on the fence, even with those lovely caveats. But, if I could work out as hard as I currently do, spend the same amount of time prepping healthy food in the kitchen and be, you know, better at the athletic things I do with a little help from a magic pill (with zero side effects and no cost and zero drawbacks whatsoever because, hey, we’re talking magic here), would that be so bad? Or have I already found my magic pill with workouts and good-for-me foods?

(Also, I hate swallowing pills, so maybe I should just stick to smoothies.)

What about you? I recommend thinking on it for a minute — the answer that comes immediately to mind might not be your final. —Kristen