For the most part I love magazines. I write for magazines, I read magazines and I stare at the ones that I’m too tight to buy in the newsagent a lot. What I don’t like about them is when they try to package fitness as a product and sell it to women as something that will make us ‘hotter’, ‘sexier’ and make men swoon at our feet.
There’s lots of good reasons to exercise but these are not three of them. As I’ve said before, running (or exercise in general) will not make you hot – but it will make you awesome.
Exercise will make you live longer, it will give you more energy, it will bring you into contact with lots of new people and it will make you happier. But it will also make you look like this.
If fitness magazines told the truth, their covers would look a lot more like mine. I should be totally honest and reveal to you that I have been Photoshopped in this cover image. For one I’m not actually running in shorts in a blizard – that would be a cut-out. My hair is also a lot frizzier than that when I’m running – minimal skills and patience in cutting out images resulted in me going for the helmet look instead.
I’m quite happy to part with my cash to read a magazine filled with interviews with elite athletes sharing their (sports-related) secrets, coaches sharing their wisdom or reviews of gear and events. How can I run faster? What am I looking for in a triathlon bike? What the frick is Zumba? These are things that I want to know. But if you tell me how I can look like Jessica Ennis or Victoria Pendleton, or ask them about hair and make-up I might just have to scream.
If you liked this post, you might like The Vagenda. Big up to them for inspiring me to dust off the InDesign skills.
I so agree with this! It always annoys me when I see people at the gym that have full make-up and loose hair that looks perfect at the end of their session. But then I figure I’m getting a much better workout despite looking like a sweaty mess! 🙂
Love the blog, currently training for a 5k and it’s hugely motivating, thanks!
Beki x
Fantastic!
I absolutely love this! Our coach shouts at us that if we still look good we haven’t tried hard enough 🙂
Honestly, this is just what I have been wanting in a magazine. I got quite excited when Women’s Fitness was being released but since it’s arrival, I’ve only bought the first issue because it’s just full of, “Look sexy in ten days!” “Get that bikini body in just 15 minutes!” I don’t want to read about quick fixed because the journey to the ‘ideal’ body – whatever that is – isn’t something you can do over a weekend. It’s a long, hard slog where at the end, you can be proud that you’ve accomplished both amazing fitness goals and a body you can be proud of.
I’ll put you all down for a monthly subscription then yes?
Laura.
UK running magazine are useless either aimed at women or men. However Running Times the american mag is good its much more about the pro runners and the sport of running I find….
Totally agree…just as frustating I find as well as the whole ‘get a sexy bum in 5mins’ type things is when they promote running just as something to do to lose weight (or other exercise for that matter). What happened to pure enjoyment of being active, and the achievement you get from crossing a finish line or for the first time in your life placing in the top 3 in a race? These are the things that will actually keep you active rather than just thinking of exercise as a chore to be endured to burn calories.
LAMB I agree with you about British running/fitness magazines, especially as too many of them rather than actually promoting a healthy lifestyle also seem to place waay too much emphasis on buying expensive weight loss supplements and the like. I like Athletics Weekly for its commentary about the sport and emphasis on performance rather than sexiness.
Love the magazine cover! Much more realistic!
This Article is good.Interesting article about “Health & Beauty” bloggers.
Health & Beauty
Does Thinking Younger Help?
When I was a little girl, each morning I awoke thinking “I cannot wait until I get to my 20’s for that American dream”. Marriage, children, big house, and possibly a really beautiful, big dog in the back of my car. Well, I did the marriage thing in my 20’s, but didn’t get around to the children thing until I was in my late 30’s.
Health & Beauty for more information
Thanks
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Just saw this and think that it’s one of the most honest and funniest things I’ve seen!
Well done 🙂
Also well done on your sub 4h marathon – having recently failed at achieving my own goals I have utmost admiration for those who succeed!
Just quoted this on Womens Running mag fb site!
https://www.facebook.com/womensrunningmagazineuk
loving the site x
We so NEED this magazine!
[…] 17, 2013Fitness Found on Pinterest; here’s where this originated from. I’d love to subscribe to this magazine, if only it existed. While I realize that many […]