I’m A Popular Fitspo Blogger, And These 5 Comments Piss Me Off

1. “Do you eat anything besides salad?”

I post a lot of pictures of the fruits and veggies I eat (along with whole grains, nuts, lean meats, etc), but I don’t only eat that stuff. It’s so naive to assume that a person either “eats healthy” or “eats unhealthy.” Just because someone is health conscious and makes sure to put a lot of clean foods in their body does not mean they don’t eat the occasional slice of pizza or cake. It’s all about moderation, something that people are following me to learn about.

Part of the reason people have trouble losing weight and keeping it off is because they divide food (and the people who eat them) into “good” and “bad” categories, when food is just fuel, and not who we are. Saying I only eat salad to get where I am makes it easier for you to not try.

2. “I wish I could have all that nice food.”

Here is an unfortunate reality if you’re putting off a lifestyle change: Eating healthy is (usually) much cheaper than eating unhealthy. I buy on sale, shop at normal grocery stores, and stock up on what’s in season. Grains and greens go into my basket first, and I cook as much as I can from scratch. I divide food and store it in the freezer, and make sure to get a lot of something if there’s a good deal. And I only EVER drink water, unless I’m drinking alcohol, which saves a huge amount on all of the different drinks I could be buying. I can get a bag of ingredients (rice, beans, a bit of greens, low sodium chicken broth, a couple veggies, some spice) and have a week’s worth of soup for the same price as one Value Meal. You can have nice food, you just have to look for it.

3. “Skinny bitch.”

Making fun of a girl for being thin is terrible, and no better than making fun of her for being fat. We all deal with insecurity, and believe it or not, there can be a lot of stigmas around being skinny. We are not a free target to make fun of just because you think we have the perfect body. We are all working on getting and staying healthy, and names like “skinny bitch” hold everyone back.

4. “I can’t afford to go the gym!”

Neither can I! I only recently started going to a very cheap (20 dollar a month) gym after years of working out at home. Running is free. YouTube is free (and there are thousands of videos showing you how to do all different kinds of at-home workouts). You can do almost endless stuff with just a wall, a chair, and a mat or towel to put on the ground. Not being able to go to the gym is not an excuse, and acting like someone is automatically rich just because they work out a lot is pointless. People of all incomes can work out, even totally broke students or people working two jobs. Exercise is free.

5. “You’re just doing this to look good.”

Maybe the thing that pisses me off the most is the assumption that if a woman really cares about her health, it has to be because she’s trying to impress someone. She can’t just be interested in treating her body well, eating clean, and pushing her boundaries. People see a bikini pic of me and think that the reason I did it was to “show off” and get a bunch of likes, but they aren’t there sweating it out with me at 6 AM on a Saturday, or making the choice to eat the lemon chicken instead of the double cheeseburger (and yes, I love cheeseburgers). Was all of that “just for attention?”

I do it because I feel incredible, and have a ton of energy for whatever I want to do. I think working out is fun, and I hate feeling like I’m not getting the most out of my days. A picture of a body in a bikini is not fitspo, the life that goes into that body is fitspo. Working on making your body something to be proud of, just like your mind, is a lifelong journey, and there’s nothing wrong with showing the results of that hard work. But it’s not about looking good. It’s about feeling amazing, and inspiring other people to do the same.

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