I posted a couple “before and after” photos back in the day. Here’s why I VERY DEEPLY dislike them now:
There is no “arrival” point. Our bodies are constantly changing.The beauty of the human body is that it is constantly adapting… to activity, environment, temperature, food, stressors, disease, etc.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s pretty amazing. In each season of your life, your body WILL ?? BE ?? DIFFERENT. No moment of your life is the exact same as another. Shouldn’t we expect our bodies to reflect that?⠀⠀⠀⠀
You might be “lean” for a while and then “less lean” for a while. Some muscles might be more developed for a while, and then less developed for a while. Your posture might adapt slightly as your work environment changes.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Before and after photos give me a very weird feeling because they send the message that in a certain version of your body, you have “arrived” at a happier, better, more deserving you.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⚠️ THAT IS NOT TRUE!!! ⚠️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you are a health and fitness professional, I simply ask that you think twice before you use “before and afters” to promote your business. ?? Consider the deeper message you are sending about what is valuable and what is not. I remember the mentality I was in when I posted them. I had every good intention in mind of helping others achieve what I THOUGHT was making me happier.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I didn’t understand how much unhappiness it was actually bringing me to assign my worth to arbitrary changes in my body that would never be permanent!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We HAVE to start valuing other things besides aesthetics if we want to grow as humans. ?Be PROUD of the body you live in right now and the things it can do right now. ?? Please, set goals if you want it to adapt to do some other stuff or feel different. But projecting a false sense of arrival doesn’t do you or anyone else seeing it one bit of good.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Coach Casey
Follow along on Instagram and How Do You Feel Podcast