Real Bodies

Over the Christmas Holiday Break, my daughter and I decided to visit the Columbus Museum of Art. And as wonderful as all of the art work was, these two paintings stood out to me.

Above is a portrait which was done in 1932. Ito Shinshui was described as being "celebrated for his depiction of bijin, or beautiful young women." Below is another portrait done by Archibald J. Motley, Jr. in 1931.

Both of these paintings were done in the early 1930's, by artists from two different continents, depicting what was seen as a representation of what was considered a beautiful woman.

What does this have to do with health and why is a health coach blogging about nude portraits of women?

I believe that our current image of what is seen as healthy, especially for women, is flat out skewed. In the 1930's one could reasonably say that people in general were a lot healthier than we are today. Obesity was almost non existent. Their diets were much cleaner that ours. They weren't consuming nearly the same amount of pesticides, chemicals, and pre-packaged, artificial foods that we consume today. They were less sedentary than most of us are today. They lived much cleaner and natural lives than we do. Yet, these women would be crucified if their naked bodies were exposed in today's media outlets.

The adult female body was never designed to look like that of a pre-adolescent male with baseballs for breasts. The female body is indeed supposed to be soft, and curvy. It is supposed to have hips, thighs, and a supple stomach.

I have worked in gyms alongside of fitness competitors. I have seen how they use synthetic supplements to manipulate their bodies to look like it was never designed to look.

It has been stated again and again in recent years, that the modern standard of beauty is unrealistic. In some ways our society is beginning to embrace women of all shapes and sizes. This is wonderful, but there are still too many women, especially young women, and men, who strive to look like an image that is not real. Airbrushed, plastic surgery, pills, powders and shakes that all promise to give people "results." Perhaps we need to be more forgiving of ourselves. Perhaps

coaches and trainers should begin to shift their clients away from vanity and more towards inner health.

When our bodies are clean on the inside, when our minds are relaxed, focused, and content, when our spirit is at peace...our exterior will depict the image of true health. And that, comes in every size. So the next time you are in the gym, don't be so hard on yourself. Rather than focus on an image or a number on the scale, pay attention to increasing your strength, endurance, and flexibility. Through out your day, pay attention to how much energy you have. Pay attention to how your digestion is working. Give awareness to your mental state. Are you stressed out, and angry, or are you positive and enthusiastic about your life? When shifting your focus towards inner health, I promise, the outer form will be radiantly beautiful.

As always,

Much love & namaste friends.