“Want to get fit?”
“Want to be in the
best shape of your life?”
“With this program, you can!”
These are just a few of the many
phrases you will hear on a commercial for the home-fitness program, P90X. This
program offers the convenience of working out right from the comfort of your
very own home, making working out more convenient and less humiliating than
ever before. Now, especially with the rise of obesity in America, I do not have
anything against doing these programs to get into shape and lose weight.
However the subliminal message that is being transferred through the screen as
people watch the commercial is this: In order to be truly happy and smile all
the time like these people, you have to look like these people, and in order to
get amazing six-pack abs and wear a tight, sexy bikini while playing beach
volleyball like these people, you need to get this program (which so happens to
cost you three payments of $109.85 +s & h). The program appeals to the
common person’s hope to someday wear those clothes and look that way.
Now I have to admit, I am a bit of a P90X
junkie. The DVDs were given to me by a friend so I didn’t even have to pay for
it, and from there I created an entire workout regime for myself so that I can
attempt to get in shape. The truth is that the program appeals to my need for a
flexible schedule and convenience. All I need to do is pop in the DVD and off I
go, an entire workout for me to do that doesn’t involve going to the gym or
hiring a personal trainer. The program also appeals to the average American’s
desire to be “fit” and “sexy,” as several gorgeous and ripped men and women
appear on the screen wearing next to nothing saying, with bright smiling faces,
that this program will change your life. I have no doubt that if the program is
followed correctly, then it really can change your life. If I did have any
doubts, I wouldn’t be doing the program myself. The only problem is when the
people watching start to believe that they need to look like these gorgeous
people in order to be happy and feel good about themselves. This is something
that I am also guilty of. In our society it is the people who have awesome
bodies and radiate with confidence that are considered beautiful, which leaves
the other 90% of the population looking pretty grim.
In 1 Timothy 4:8, it is said that
“Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more
important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.” While
exercising and looking great is important for health and self-esteem, it is not
what is most important in this life, and should not be used to gain happiness.
One of the reasons why today’s society is so messed up is that we focus so much
on our physical appearance and getting into the “best shape of our lives,” that
we forget about what makes us truly beautiful on the inside, and that is love
and devotion to God. Like I mentioned before, I am a P90X junkie who is looking
to get into great shape so that I can be healthy and feel more energetic. However,
I know that my true beauty comes from the inside and my relationship with
Christ, and God can see that beauty regardless of the shape that I am.
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