I’m about to go where no woman has gone before.
I’m putting a whole bunch of unflattering pictures of myself in spandex on the Internet.
Crazy, I know, but I’m doing it for a good reason. Someone, and it may as well be me, has to look un-gorgeous when they exercise. I read just about every fitness magazine, and I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to inspiring fitness pictures. In every single one of these pictures nary a droplet of sweat has broken through the skin. Hair is still perfectly coifed, and no one, NO ONE ever makes silly grunty faces. There are no rolls of fat, or weird bra line chub that gets pushed up from tight sports bras.
And don’t even get me started on exercise videos. How do they not sweat? No one ever sweats in exercise videos– I know, I’m watching them exercise.
I’m here to say it’s okay to look like a growly sweaty monster when you work out. Hell, I think the worse you look while working out, the better you look when you’re not.
I had my trainer (otherwise known as The Fella) snap photos of me today as I made my way through my current routine. Here’s what it looks like:
Weighted Alternating Lunges
FYI: My foot is a little too far in, my ankle should be under my knee.
These pictures come in handy for me, too.
High Bench Step Up
Push-Ups
Dumbbell Bench Press
May I Please Be Excused to Go Die Now?
Pull-Ups
Machine Rows
Straight Rows
Tricep Press Downs/Extensions
Bicep Curls
Double Crunch
Roman Bench
Finale
I burned more calories in my strength training workout than I did while doing cardio earlier in the day. I don’t think I could have had that kind of burn if I was worried about what I looked like.
Go ahead and get sweaty. Get grunty. Do that weird contraction deep breathing face thing. It’s all in a day’s workout.
If you’re proud to look like you’re working out, feel free to send me pictures of your sweaty fit self, I’d love to post them and a bit about your favorite workout. You can email me at kim@thekimchallenge.com.
Oh, right, I ate a whole bunch of stuff too…
Breakfast
Weetabix with banana and almond milk
Scrambled egg whites
Lunch
Salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot, hard boiled egg, and avocado
Dressed with olive oil and apple cider vinegar
Post Workout Snacks
AM Cardio: Smoothie with almond milk, frozen strawberries and vanilla protein powder
PM Weight Lifting: Cliff Builder’s Bar
Dinner
Vegetable soup, salad and multi-grain bread
You know what? I don’t think these pics are un-pretty at all!
I love that you’re not all prissy and perfect — you’ve proven that sweat can be sexy!
Surprisingly, I noticed the lighting differences in the different pics more than how you look. Fixing the light differences would have required more expensive photo equipment and/or time in Photoshop, which of course would have defeated the whole purpose of why you were taking the pics in the first place.
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I think that as usual, you look like your gorgeous self! Seriously, do you ever not look pretty? But at the same time I appreciate the photos for not being prissy, posed or faked.
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Hate to tell you this, but you don’t look un-pretty while working out! But I give you props for posting a picture of you glistening (women don’t sweat, we “glisten” don’t you know?).
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You’re a rockstar! And uhhh, you look pretty bad-ass working out
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