Double Standards

So I have been thinking about this blog post for a while, and I admit it probably would have been more funny if I had written it earlier in the week when I was feeling much more feisty than I am today.

Today I am pretty calm and at peace with my diet and my training so I don't feel quite so funny about it. But I still feel there are some necessary points to be made so me being me, with my less than sharp filter is going to point some of them out.

It seems to me there are many double standards in the world. For the purpose of this post I want to talk about the health/fitness/and especially diet ones that exist on a consistent basis in my world.

I notice and I hear other people who are on the "clean eating" bandwagon say frequently that co workers, family, and friends often times put down their food choices. For example: Client eats chicken and brown rice with veggies every day at work, even when pizza is ordered in. Coworkers feel it necessary to criticize her for being so "Strict" and say how unhealthy it is to never eat a piece of pizza.

--umm, excuse me-- would it be appropriate for me to say "Hey, it isn't healthy to eat pizza every damn time the office orders it. Oh, and also that pizza sticks to your bum and gives you cellulite below each cheek."

-Ya, no that would definitely not be a socially approved thing for me to say.

You are at a birthday party and everyone is eating cake and ice cream but you, you made a decision that today isn't the day you want to indulge so you say no. But everyone in the room makes it a point to say "one piece isn't going to hurt," "it's not healthy to never eat sweets," "this is soooooooo gooooood you should really just try it, come on-- just have a bite," "C'mon, it's my birthday-- just eat a piece for me," or I really think it is awesome when they bring a plate to your desk and leave it there even after you said no.

--would it be ok for me to say, "you know, that has 4 whole sticks of butter in it and it is going to make you have a fat belly?" or "sugar makes you fat." or would it be ok to say "I am afraid of looking like you, so I choose to never eat stuff like that actually," "It's your birthday, why don't you give yourself a present and NOT eat cake AND ice cream?"

Ya, no that wouldn't be ok.

I will miss a meeting, I will reschedule an appointment, and purposely schedule other things around my workout schedule, regardless of what season of training I am in. People will say "you can miss just today," "it's not healthy to never take a break," "one missed workout wont kill you," "oh I see, working out is more important than me."

Would it be ok for me to ask people if they got their workout in for the day? Would it be ok to say yeah, sure I'll do that but... only after you work out with me, it's my birthday, do it for me?

Again, not so much.

How about this, Love this one. "EWWW what are you eating, that looks disgusting."

Next time I see someone with a cart full of boxed and frozen foods would it be ok for me to walk up to them and ask if they are trying to kill themselves with all that high fructose corn syrup and processed chemicals they are eating. Or would it be ok for me to just say "ewww, that is so gross!!"

They will say  "YOU LOOK SOO SKINNY, is that even healthy?"

If I said "You look soo big, is that even healthy?"

They will say "I don't want to lift weights, I don't want to be big and bulky like a man." Even though they know 85% of my training is lifting heavy weights. Do they think I don't get what they are insinuating?

Would it be ok if I said "I don't want to zumba, because my body will never improve."

My point is this. There are way more over weight people in the world than their are healthy weighted people.  I am not saying that skinny people are more healthy than an over weight person, because a lot of the time that isn't true at all. I know several people who "look" a little over weight that can out lift, out run, and eat cleaner than anyone else I know. I also know several people who "look" thin that couldn't run to the edge of their drive way or carry a baby around on their hip if they had to.

I am not preaching about "looks" here, I am honestly preaching about making conscious decisions to eat the healthier choice, exercise a little more than you want and being ok with whatever you do in between. I DO think you should feel like you can eat a piece of cake if you want, but I also think you should be able to refuse the cake and not made to feel guilty about it if that is what you pick. Just like the person who eats the cake every single time-- they don't need or want to have that brought to their attention.

So, in the words of the fit chick mom, just follow your own path. Do the best you can do, with what you have, aim high and be satisfied with who and what you are. At the end of the day, the only person who's opinion really matters-- is yours.