"Lift because you love it or need the strength, not because changing your body is your hobby."
OMG, yesss!! Body change as a hobby is such a messed up concept. For me, it all goes back to the fitness forums, diet cults, and transformation programs. Posting photos of yourself in your underwear and allowing strangers to scrutinize your body, eating, and training is NOT normal. I can't believe how deeply I was involved in it or for how long. It destroys trust in yourself. If a trainer at the gym, a stranger at GNC, or a random person online told me what to eat/take/do, I would do it instead of telling them to take a flying leap. I had no healthy boundaries. I thought others knew more about my body than I did. Scary!
I was going through photo folders this week and hit hundreds of "progress" pics from that same era. I thought about deleting them, but I think I want to remember how futile it all was. I didn't enjoy my training or my food and I was never satisfied with the results. It feels so much better to be focused on having fun and feeling amazing. With no scale, tape measure, or photos!
"I wanted to look like an athlete, but it also seemed odd to pursue that when I WASN'T an athlete at all, just a dieter."
Aaaagh!! Yes! So true! I remember at the height of my fitness obsession telling a friend that I hated exercise, that if I could maintain the look without it, I would never exercise again. Talk about a red flag that I totally ignored! I trained hard for years while not enjoying the process. Movement for fun or to feel good was a completely foreign concept. Now that I've figured it out, I can't imagine exercising for any other reason.