Listen to me closely.

It's not real.

Photo by h heyerlein on Unsplash

Take a look at the cover of a fitness magazine. What do you see? A beautiful person, totally ripped, totally gorgeous, and posing to perfection, right? It makes sense. I mean, they've got to sell magazines, so they want to make sure and lure readers in with as many pretty pictures as possible.

The problem I have is this:

that picture is an extremely inaccurate representation of the lifestyle needed to achieve said picture.

Case in point.

That was me in 2011. That is with professional makeup and hair done, and of course, a professional photographer with lighting and background carefully selected.

That is carefully contrived.

That is not what fitness looks like.

This is what fitness looks like.

Every day. At least two hours per day. A bit different, no?

I recently saw this in a makeup store.

(

It's billed as "workout makeup." The three circled items would have made me angry if they didn't make me so sad. Especially, "train hard, never show it."

I'm sorry, but when I work out, I WORK OUT. I don't go to the gym to look pretty or make friends or have fun. In fact, I think most people assume I'm some type of antisocial troll who got smacked a few times with an ugly stick and now has a vicious grudge against humanity.

Yoga, anyone?

I know a lot of amazing women on Steemit who exercise on a regular basis. I have a question for y'all. What do you look like when you work out? Do you look put together, ready for a magazine cover, or do you look like you've just survived a run through a tumble dryer?

I shall start a challenge.

CHALLENGE!

Ladies, show me your post-workout faces. You can make a post about it, or you can just put it in the comments.

Let's fight back against people telling us we have to look "pretty" when we're kicking ass in the gym or at home!

And because I know it's gonna be scary to post those pictures (even though it shouldn't be, because you're gorgeous no matter what your face looks like in one mere split second of time a photo captures), I shall sweeten the deal.

Everyone who shares a post-workout photo will get an even split of the post earnings. If the post doesn't earn too much, each woman will get 3 SBD.

So share this around and let's see those beautiful, sweating faces!