The way Ilona Maher handled the criticism of her body during the Olympics was effing brilliant. She’s a gem. I wish she’d been around when I was growing up.
She had a post or a story of all the little girls who dressed up as her for Halloween and I was absolutely verklempt. It would have meant so much to me as a tall thick little girl who always felt bad about not looking like a ballerina. I love her!
Lean Beef Patty (who I wrote about in a post on fitness influencers https://artfullyexercising.substack.com/p/under-the-influence?utm_source=publication-search). I appreciate how she's upfront about exercise being one step in the equation to a healthy and happy life, not the end-all-be-all. She's serious in the gym, but also makes it clear that we should not to take ourselves and our routines too seriously. Furthermore, she's very honest about her issues with eating disorders and therefore, is not judgemental about it. I really like the fact that she doesn't offer platitudes on "eating healthy" that I've seen other fitness influencers espousing endlessly.
I really like @girlswhopowerlift on Instagram. Seeing a ton of women (and some actual children) of different shapes and sizes focusing on strength is a really uplifting addition to my feed. (It's also a good way to discover lots of individual lifters -- I like to follow women with similar frames to me for form tips.)
As a guy, I don’t see many of those, but I suppose I’ve always been attracted to fighter physiques. Always thought guys like Jet Li, ol’ Bruce and more recently MMA types like prime GSP were goals. I don’t much like the aesthetic muscle look on guys (though I think it looks great on girls). In general, I’m more of a fan of functional muscles and what your body can do for you vs how it looks.
This might sound a little gross, but me right now? LOL. After menopause and getting HRT balanced, and working to keep my fatigue down/energy up, I'm back in that groove where I feel good in my skin. I'm not a marathoner or HIIT-er or anything remotely like that, but I do try to get exercise in 5x/wk, 30-60 mins of stuff I enjoy (urban hikes, rowing, yoga, CSX, kettlebells) that I do at home ('cept for the hikes, of course). I have allergies, asthma and EBV, so I have to be mindful of not overdoing it, but there comes a point where my body craves movement, and that feels pretty good. We all need something different. Finding what we respond to is such a boon. Mentally and emotionally as much as physically. xo
My family didn't care about looks at all. Zero. No vanity. The focus was doing things vs how you looked. Weight was never mentioned one way or another, nor were "bad" foods. People ate what they wanted when they were hungry and stopped when they were full and that was that.
So of course the rebellion was I worked in the beauty industry for years. The plain-janeness of my family bugged me as a kid but now I realize it gave me a lot. I've always had a relatively healthy body image and felt good in my own skin, even when there were hotter, skinnier, younger, etc. women around.
You're so lucky! My family (incl extended) constantly, ennnndddlessly talk about other people's looks and in particular weight. I love them but it's a battle to be around some times and definitely think it's played a big part in my history of disordered eating and not feeling good in my own skin! Hoping that I can make my family when I have children more like yours, what a great way to be.
I enjoy @harrietharper_fitnes and @doclyssfitness on Instagram because they offer two different ideologies on fitness and both of them portray their bodies as places to live your life in versus a one size fits all kit you must destroy to fit a certain ideal. Very little fitfluencer vibes from either of them, but lots of living in your body, enjoying what your body can do, and do your best to work with your body instead of against it. I like that both are more up front about injuries and mental health struggles as apart of living life and figuring things out too.
I would also be terribly remiss if I didn’t bring up the Adaptive Training Foundation in Texas. This is an incredible gym that initially was founded by an NFL player to help veterans with combat limb loss injuries. It has since been expanded to help a significant amount of individuals who have experienced a variety of disabilities or severe injuries, not just amputees. The video on the founder talking about training one of his first clients, a veteran with 4 limb amputations, is phenomenal because he actually talks about seeing someone’s “body” for what it is exactly and wanting that person to know they are still able to use their body to experience their life in some way. It’s the actual embodiment of no matter what your body looks like, you STILL deserve to use it, make it feel good, exercise it, and work with the limitations you might be experiencing to have a life that works for you.
I adore Katie Sturino! She runs a series called #SuperSizeTheLook where she reminds people it helps retrain our brains to see two women next to each other and not declare a winner.
There are so many but the first one I thought of: instagram.com/bdccarpenter
The way Ilona Maher handled the criticism of her body during the Olympics was effing brilliant. She’s a gem. I wish she’d been around when I was growing up.
Yes!!!
She had a post or a story of all the little girls who dressed up as her for Halloween and I was absolutely verklempt. It would have meant so much to me as a tall thick little girl who always felt bad about not looking like a ballerina. I love her!
Lean Beef Patty (who I wrote about in a post on fitness influencers https://artfullyexercising.substack.com/p/under-the-influence?utm_source=publication-search). I appreciate how she's upfront about exercise being one step in the equation to a healthy and happy life, not the end-all-be-all. She's serious in the gym, but also makes it clear that we should not to take ourselves and our routines too seriously. Furthermore, she's very honest about her issues with eating disorders and therefore, is not judgemental about it. I really like the fact that she doesn't offer platitudes on "eating healthy" that I've seen other fitness influencers espousing endlessly.
This is awesome, will def be following.
I really like @girlswhopowerlift on Instagram. Seeing a ton of women (and some actual children) of different shapes and sizes focusing on strength is a really uplifting addition to my feed. (It's also a good way to discover lots of individual lifters -- I like to follow women with similar frames to me for form tips.)
I LOVE that account. Seconded!
As a guy, I don’t see many of those, but I suppose I’ve always been attracted to fighter physiques. Always thought guys like Jet Li, ol’ Bruce and more recently MMA types like prime GSP were goals. I don’t much like the aesthetic muscle look on guys (though I think it looks great on girls). In general, I’m more of a fan of functional muscles and what your body can do for you vs how it looks.
Honestly, Nigella Lawson. She made it sexy for women to eat luxurious food and look like they do. What a babe.
This might sound a little gross, but me right now? LOL. After menopause and getting HRT balanced, and working to keep my fatigue down/energy up, I'm back in that groove where I feel good in my skin. I'm not a marathoner or HIIT-er or anything remotely like that, but I do try to get exercise in 5x/wk, 30-60 mins of stuff I enjoy (urban hikes, rowing, yoga, CSX, kettlebells) that I do at home ('cept for the hikes, of course). I have allergies, asthma and EBV, so I have to be mindful of not overdoing it, but there comes a point where my body craves movement, and that feels pretty good. We all need something different. Finding what we respond to is such a boon. Mentally and emotionally as much as physically. xo
Whitney Simmons because she is strong AF, recently overcame major depression to get back into fitness and also deals with psoriasis like a queen.
https://www.instagram.com/whitneyysimmons/
My family didn't care about looks at all. Zero. No vanity. The focus was doing things vs how you looked. Weight was never mentioned one way or another, nor were "bad" foods. People ate what they wanted when they were hungry and stopped when they were full and that was that.
So of course the rebellion was I worked in the beauty industry for years. The plain-janeness of my family bugged me as a kid but now I realize it gave me a lot. I've always had a relatively healthy body image and felt good in my own skin, even when there were hotter, skinnier, younger, etc. women around.
You're so lucky! My family (incl extended) constantly, ennnndddlessly talk about other people's looks and in particular weight. I love them but it's a battle to be around some times and definitely think it's played a big part in my history of disordered eating and not feeling good in my own skin! Hoping that I can make my family when I have children more like yours, what a great way to be.
I enjoy @harrietharper_fitnes and @doclyssfitness on Instagram because they offer two different ideologies on fitness and both of them portray their bodies as places to live your life in versus a one size fits all kit you must destroy to fit a certain ideal. Very little fitfluencer vibes from either of them, but lots of living in your body, enjoying what your body can do, and do your best to work with your body instead of against it. I like that both are more up front about injuries and mental health struggles as apart of living life and figuring things out too.
I would also be terribly remiss if I didn’t bring up the Adaptive Training Foundation in Texas. This is an incredible gym that initially was founded by an NFL player to help veterans with combat limb loss injuries. It has since been expanded to help a significant amount of individuals who have experienced a variety of disabilities or severe injuries, not just amputees. The video on the founder talking about training one of his first clients, a veteran with 4 limb amputations, is phenomenal because he actually talks about seeing someone’s “body” for what it is exactly and wanting that person to know they are still able to use their body to experience their life in some way. It’s the actual embodiment of no matter what your body looks like, you STILL deserve to use it, make it feel good, exercise it, and work with the limitations you might be experiencing to have a life that works for you.
https://www.adaptivetrainingfoundation.org
@alexlight_ldn is great
I adore Katie Sturino! She runs a series called #SuperSizeTheLook where she reminds people it helps retrain our brains to see two women next to each other and not declare a winner.
https://www.instagram.com/katiesturino
https://www.instagram.com/_emmagilligan_fit?igsh=YWt6dHI0bTZnOGV1 has helped me a lot