The Pushmi-Pullyu of Perfection - Sweating, Sweets, and Tummy Tucks (Part Deux)

The Pushmi-Pullyu of Perfection - Sweating, Sweets, and Tummy Tucks (Part Deux)

IDOLATRY? The last thing I wanted was to put anything or anyone ahead of my love for my God. But it wouldn’t be so easy to put the beast in its place.

I realized I can either embrace my body’s changes and delight in my good health or I can spend more time on the treadmill. Not wanting to give in so easily and still trying to catch my pushmi-pullyu of a perfect appearance, I hit the endless rubber belt and stretched my weekly workouts by another two hours. After about four weeks of running fast and going nowhere, I decided that I was going about this all wrong. Instead of dreading my workouts and hyperfocusing on my weight, I decided to embrace my exercise routine, not for what it could do for my fanny, but for how my time invested at the gym could contribute to my flexibility, agility, and energy.

Experts believe that the value our society places on youthful beauty is at the heart of our problem. They’re right. But here’s the kicker: we’re society. We’re the ones who have stood back and allowed, even encouraged, this focus on appearance. Our obsession has produced a generation of vanity that is shameful and—for many families with young women suffering from eating disorders and mothers disfigured by plastic surgery—painful. Ladies, what are we doing? What if we invested the time, money, and energy we expend on our appearances into making the world a better place for our children and grandchildren, for our communities? I think we need to reassess:

Would losing a few inches make my jeans fit better? Absolutely.

Would dropping five pounds allow me to squeeze the ever-lovin’ life out of the next sixty seconds? Not likely.

Would a perfect appearance make me a woman of substance? Not in a million years.

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

I know I haven’t yet caught my pushmi-pullyu of a perfect appearance, but this week I have her cornered. When you catch yours, we can corral them together; and we’ll all be better off as we provide a healthy example for the next generation of women.