#gainingweightiscool: a Body Positivity Trend

Every January the gyms fill up as people start their New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get more fit. But this year there’s a new trend. Started by Arianna Dantone, #gainingweightiscool is taking Instagram’s fitness community by storm. 

What is it?

Women from around the world are posting their own “before and after” collages showing their body transformations and muscle gain. Some are sharing some amazing stories too. The posts aren’t all about gaining muscle either – some are stories of overcoming eating disorders, so this is a very wide-reaching topic of discussion that thousands of people are participating in.

Lately there are a lot of people who come here and tell me that I'm doing it wrong. That there's nothing bad about dieting or wanting to lose weight. That I shouldn't be celebrating the body types I do. That I've gone 'too far' or that I'm promoting the wrong things. But here's the reality: there are so many spaces you can go to and be congratulated on weight loss. There are millions of diet plans, endless articles on getting the 'perfect' body, and countless images of the body type our culture teaches us we should all strive for. Those are the spaces I grew up around, and boy did I learn the lesson well. I learned how to lose weight, I learned how to hate my body, I learned that chasing thinness was the only way to be beautiful, and the only way to be happy. It's taken me a LONG time to unlearn those lessons. And I plan on showing as many people as I can that they can unlearn them too. Because honestly? We all deserve so much better than how we've been taught to see ourselves. The body positive community is our safe space. It's the one corner of the internet you can go to where no matter how you look, you're good enough. It won't pressure you into believing that you can only be happy once you're smaller. It won't shame you for how many calories you eat or how many miles you can run. It won't tell you that your value lies in whatever number comes up on the scale. It's the space that I needed so badly all those years ago. So you can think that I'm doing this wrong all you like, I'll keep going. I'll keep creating a safe space where that girl on the left can't be hurt anymore. And for all of you out there who've never been told before that you're good enough already. You will ALWAYS be good enough here. ???? ✨P.S. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LOOK LIKE THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT FOR YOUR STRUGGLES TO BE VALID! EATING DISORDERS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, THIS IS ONLY ONE REPRESENTATION. EDs ARE MENTAL ILLNESSES, NOT WEIGHTS. WHATEVER SIZE, YOU ARE WORTHY OF RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT. SENDING SO MUCH LOVE TO ALL MY ED WARRIORS ✨

A post shared by Megan Jayne Crabbe ? (@bodyposipanda) on Jan 9, 2017 at 11:09am PST

Happy Tuesday guys! I know I'm a little late to jump on the bandwagon of the #gainingweightiscool #hashtag but it is so refreshing to see so many girls loving and embracing their bodies and being real/transparent about their fitness journey in that being shredded and lean is no way realistic or healthy and does not go along with a lifestyle for longevity. The left pictures were being stage lean and the right is now just life. I feel like I'm at a point where my body is working for me and not against me. I used to do hours of cardio and thought I had to kill myself in the gym, now I train 5 days a week do zero cardio and am enjoying not worrying so much about purely an aesthetic body image of competing in bodybuilding. Remember that everyone is on their own journey and to enjoy the process, the ups and downs & embrace it #transformationtuesday #fitness #2017 #goals #empoweringwomen #girlsaresupposedtohavecurves #liftingweightsdoesntmakeyoumanly #powerlifting #huntfitness #motivated #priority

A post shared by B E C C A • M A C K (@b_mackfit) on Jan 10, 2017 at 12:43pm PST

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPGLpbNAwZ3/?tagged=gainingweightiscool&hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPGKcRbDTAR/?tagged=gainingweightiscool&hl=en

 

But why is this important?

Well January is the time of year when nearly everyone is looking to lose some weight. They’ve joined the gym, bought some new trainers, and have started hitting the treadmill everyday after work. But 2017 has seen a change in this mentality. People are celebrating weight gain and completely redefining what “healthy” looks like.

The last couple of years have seen an increase in the number of women lifting weights at the gym. This probably all started with squats, the magical exercise almost guaranteed to get you a bum like Kim K. But since then Instagram has seen fitness professionals advertising the fact that we need lift more weights and stop watching the scales.

As you strengthen your muscles, you gain weight because muscle tissue weighs more than fat. So while lifting weights will help you tone your body, it may mean the numbers on the scales go up. But that’s okay! Having more muscle than fat is healthy, weighing a bit more is just a side-effect of this. Essentially, the numbers on the scales are meaningless. More muscle is key, not less weight.

So the body ideal for women is changing. The skinny model-esque bodies are being replaced by toned legs and defined abs. This is great for people trying to get fit, and also those overcoming eating disorders. Instead of focussing on losing weight, girls are being encouraged to gain muscle and tone their bodies, while simultaneously ignoring the scales. This is a big deal. While appearance is still a part of this – focus on the glutes still channels the Kim K dream – there is a much bigger focus on health and overall fitness as a goal.

2017 is already off to a better, much healthier start. This is definitely a social media trend to get on board with. Make this the year of muscle toning and scale ignoring!