It wouldn’t take you long to scroll on Instagram to see a before/after picture displaying someone’s fitness progress on Instagram. Those posts are everywhere, and it can be motivating to see a snapshot of what seems like an “overnight” transformation…so they get a lot of traction. Trainers on Instagram use those pictures to show how effective their programs are in order to get you to join. I mean, we all like a little “proof” that something works, am I right? I mean, it’s great for their business to accumulate these alluring photos of results to get other people to buy in. I know many of them use them as entries to win prizes for their own challenges that they do.
Well, as I was writing up the handbook for the Besst Workouts Spring Challenge, I thought about doing that. Because I know my workouts are effective and I know that after doing them for even just a 4-week period of time, that you absolutely would see new muscle definition and maybe some weight loss. Pictures are a great way to SEE progress over time that you might not notice day-to-day. I don’t use a scale and I encourage my community not to pay attention to a scale either. It absolutely never tells a full picture and generally will only leave you feeling bad about yourself (if you’re reading this, feel free to throw your scale in the garbage). So what’s the big deal with the before & after pics? I want to explain why I thought about this and why I decided I’m not going to ask you for before & after photos.
When it comes down to it, I feel like these photos, especially in the setting of a workout challenge, can make people who only SEE drastic visible physical differences feel “successful” at the challenge. It puts the emphasis on how you LOOK being the most important thing. And look, I get it, I know we all wanna look good in our shorts & dresses & bathing suits, but I don’t think that should be how we, as trainers, get people to build a healthy, longterm lifestyle of exercising. I think it can be a really nice bonus but what I personally want you to focus on is how you FEEL. What is your mental state like? Exercising helps me more than I can explain with just feeling “lighter” mentally. It alleviates stress & anxiety, and the confidence I feel knowing I am getting stronger everyday is more important to me than how I look.
The thing is, yes, of course with maintaining a consistent exercise regimen, likely you are going to see some physical changes from those efforts… but I just don’t think looks needs to be the most important thing in our lives and in our reason for working out. You are already beautiful and I think it can be a really slippery slope to attach our appearance to our worth. In my opinion, using before & after photos as a means to select a “winner” does just that. So it feels counterintuitive to the message I personally want to put out there.
Besides, do you know how many things can impact how you look on a day to day basis? How much sleep you’ve gotten, how much water you’ve had, how much salt you’ve consumed, if its that time of the month or not…I mean the list goes on.
What I want is for you to fall in love with exercise because it makes you feel like the strong, capable, badass woman that you are. I want you to keep coming back for more, day after day, because you walk away after each workout feeling amazing (if not cursing my name occasionally for the especially tough workouts) and that is what you become addicted to. It becomes a nonnegotiable part of your life because it’s something you ENJOY.
Toned abs, defined arms, strong legs, & a killer booty? 😉 Yeah, those things will probably happen over time as you do the workouts, and you absolutely can and should be proud of them. I just don’t think the true measure of someone’s success should lie in just how ripped or lean they may be. We are all built differently and beautifully. I want you to embrace your body, know you’re taking care of it with your workouts, and focus on how you FEEL. Let the rest be a bonus 🙂
I’ll be sharing the April Challenge Workout Guide soon, and it kicks off on April 5th! To join you just have to be a member of the Besst Workouts App. Click here to sign up! It is a subscription, so if you only want to do it for April, you’d just need to cancel before the next billing cycle by logging into your account on besstworkouts.com. But, I think you’ll wanna stick around 🙂
xo,
Bess
Thank you so much for this! I have so much respect for you posting this. Before/after pictures are what sends me spiraling into making really unhealthy choices. You are so right- just because you can’t “see results” doesn’t mean you aren’t getting stronger! Love that!
Thanks Kristen!!