Spring break is the perfect time of the year to head south and catch some rays on the beach. However, this college outing comes with a great deal of implications and expectations. This is also the time of year when the gym becomes packed with soon-to-be-vacationers who take to the cardio machines and salad bar in hopes of witling down to the ideal beach body size.
I think it’s great when people care about their health and fitness and put forth the effort to better their existing body. However, this entire healthy cycle is royally screwed when it comes time for spring break. Primarily girls commit to restrictive diets and exercise regimes in hopes of feeling “good enough” on the beach. But will looking a certain way make the trip any more fun? Will undefined arms make or break the vacation? Chances are, having a different body will not drastically improve one week of your life.
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Body confidence and positivity are the key tools this spring break because the annual gym frenzy is in full swing and is destructive to the highest degree. The pressure becomes enormous in the college atmosphere; everyone talks about their trips and their preparations. It seemingly goes hand-in-hand that everyone assumes exercise and dieting must be involved before you head to the airport. I don’t know when it was established that you have to look like a model to head to the beach.
For the longest time, I was self-conscious on the beach because I didn’t have a thigh gap and thought it was embarrassing to have my thighs rub together as I walked. After that, I would commit to diet and exercise and realized there was no way my body would separate like that. There was simply no way unless I wanted to quit eating completely. I realized at the end of that trip how many valuable minutes I wasted on being self-conscious about my legs and probably would have had more fun if I didn’t worry about it at all.
Feeling good and healthy in your own skin is a truly beautiful thing and I wish more people would realize that and put down the bag of carrots and become the honorary spring break best friend. I can guarantee not one person will confront a fellow spring breaker at the pool and tell them their body isn’t worthy of being there.
Bodies and self worth are not connected, but feeling confident and healthy happily supports one another. So maybe this quickly approaching spring break, students can focus more on the memories and experiences rather than the amount of crunches and burpees they can fit in before their flight leaves. It’s just not worth the stress and inevitable crash at the end of the week.
