I know I’m not the only one that mastered the trick of posing to make your arms appear slimmer in photos. You know the bent at the elbow or tucked behind a friend thing. You might not be ready to admit you’ve done it – but you and I know the truth. We’ve all been there.
It’s a funny thing. I wrote yesterday about my previous insecurities with my lower body. I used to think women were so insane for focusing on flabby arms. But then I got older and my arms got a little flabbier and then I hated them just as much as I hated my big thighs. We see one thing that’s widely celebrated and pushed in front of our faces over and over and then we learn to hate and want to change the parts of us that don’t look like that.
For lots of us, that’s arms.
I spent the last few years of my twenties either avoiding strapless dresses or twisting my body into awkward positions in photos. Fast forward to today and I certainly don’t give two effs about what my arms look like. Instead, one of my newest goals is to build my upper body strength.
Speaking of, raise your hand if you were terrified to do push-ups or too many upper body days in general because you didn’t want to “get bulky” or look masculine? Do not lie. I’ve been there tons and tons of times.
There are two things wrong with this. Thing #1: who are we to say being bulky isn’t attractive or undesirable? It’s not fair. Time to shake that nasty feeling. It’s one thing to have a certain aesthetic you’re more interested in or one that might fit your body type more naturally but we immediately jump to saying one look is better than another. Stop it. Thing #2: you need a strong upper body as much as you need a strong lower one. Since starting my own fitness journey last year, I’ve worked my way up to building a much stronger back, stronger shoulders and stronger arms. And that is sexy as hell. Forget the days where I worried about the size of my arms when they’re pressed against my sides. I’m now focused on getting stronger and pushing myself. If that means more definition and trimming fat, so be it. When your goals start to shift more towards being healthy and loving yourself, starting within, I promise you will be so much happier.
Can you relate? Drop a comment below. Don’t forget to share your own journey to body love or the part of your body you’re falling back in love with #laurenelycebody!
